Unprecedented discovery reveals water molecules in lunar solid brought back by Chinese probe

As Chinese scientists analyzed soil samples that their lunar probe brought back from the Moon, they noticed something groundbreaking: water with minerals was found in the soil.

Finding water on the moon is, in itself, nothing new. NASA and Indian spacecraft have spotted what they believe to be water on the moon’s surface, and Chinese scientists found water trapped in pieces of glass scattered across the moon last year.

But this latest discovery, scientists say, is the first time that water in its molecular form, H2O, has been found in physical samples — and, more importantly, it was recovered from a part of the moon where they thought water in that form could not exist.

Researchers closely inspected samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 probe, which landed on the lunar surface in 2020, and found a “transparent prismatic, plate-like crystal” — about the width of a human hair — that was in There is actually an “unknown lunar mineral” called ULM-1, according to the study, published July 16 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The ULM-1 crystal – with the chemical formula (NH4)MgCl3·6H2O – is made up of approximately 41% water, with bits of ammonia that keep the H2O molecules stable despite the moon’s sharp temperature swings, according to with the study.

This type of water could be a potential “resource for lunar habitation,” the scientists wrote in their study.

The discovery is the latest in China’s broader push to become a dominant space power — with sweeping ambitions, such as building a research base on the moon.

The study was hailed by excited Chinese users on social media, who pointed to the space program as a source of national pride.

“The discovery of a hydrated mineral at the Chang’e-5 landing site is fascinating and will further enhance our understanding of rock vapor reactions in the lunar crust and lunar surface,” said David A. Kring, principal scientist at the Institute. Lunar and Planetary in Texas, which was not involved in the study.

Difficult to extract

There are three types of water that could exist on the Moon, according to Yuqi Qian, a planetary geologist at the University of Hong Kong who was not involved in the study.

There are water molecules, the compound we know as H2O; its frozen form, ice; and a molecular compound called hydroxyl, a close chemical relative.

Previous discoveries have suggested that there was water on the Moon when volcanoes erupted in the ancient past — and that lunar water came from these volcanoes, meaning it came from inside the Moon and has been present since the beginning of its existence.

But people didn’t always know there was water on the moon, even though scientists have theorized about its existence for hundreds of years.

Researchers sometimes believed the moon was dry, particularly after initially finding no water in samples collected by NASA’s Apollo and the Soviet Union’s Luna missions.

It was only in more recent years that scientists found water, ice and water molecules located mainly at the dark, cold lunar poles, where the sun cannot reach.

A recent study also suggested that water or hydroxyl may be trapped in pieces of glass scattered across the lunar surface, and that solar winds may transform hydroxyl (chemical formula OH) to form water, or H2O.

But the lunar poles are difficult to navigate because of the rocky terrain, making them challenging places for humans to extract water.

And molecular water is “not stable in other regions of the moon,” vaporizing at lower latitudes where temperatures can exceed 100°C, Qian said.

This new study changes that.

The samples, recovered by China’s Chang’e-5 probe, came from a mid-latitude part of the moon, at 43.1 degrees latitude — an area that is normally “not stable for molecular water,” Qian said. Ammonium was found in the samples, which acted as a stabilizer for the water molecules, he explained.

This mechanism also corroborates NASA’s findings from 2020, when its SOFIA telescope detected water on the lunar surface — although scientists could not verify this finding with physical samples at the time, or explain exactly how the water was remaining on the hot surface.

“I think it has a lot of potential, this new discovery that we can extract molecular water directly from lunar soils,” Qian said. “I think this is a new mechanism for making molecular water stable on the lunar surface.”

Kring of the Lunar and Planetary Institute cautioned that although the sample was collected from a mid-latitude area, “it was not clear whether it formed there. Impact processes can redistribute rocks across the lunar surface.”

China’s space ambitions

A growing number of countries, including the United States, are eyeing the strategic and scientific benefits of expanded lunar exploration.

China has made rapid advances in recent years, reflecting leader Xi Jinping’s “eternal dream” of transforming the country into a space power.

In 2013, China became the first country to achieve a robotic lunar landing in nearly four decades. Then, in 2019, it became the first and only country to land on the far side of the moon. Three years later, China completed its latest orbital space station, Tiangong.

And there are more plans, with the aim of landing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and building a research base at the south pole.

Understanding how water is stored on the Moon is useful, experts previously told CNNbecause this could point future lunar astronauts to potential resources that could one day be converted into drinking water or even rocket fuel.

After the latest study, many Weibo users raised the possibility of growing plants or crops on the moon using molecular water found in the soil.

But, Qian said, it’s too early to draw that kind of conclusion. Growing anything on the moon would depend on factors such as water abundance – which requires more research to confirm.

However, he added, “this new phenomenon, this new mechanism… will open the door to [encontrar] new water in this new form.”

Kring also cautioned that the findings so far have “no significant implications for exploration mission architectures, although they demonstrate that discoveries await those willing and able to explore the Moon.”

China’s rapid advances have caught the attention of NASA. The space agency has not been allowed to work with its Chinese counterparts since 2011, when Congress passed the Wolf Amendment citing concerns about espionage.

But last August, China opened access to Chang’e-5 samples to the international community.

“We are going through the process right now with our scientists and lawyers to make sure that the instructions and barriers that the Chinese are insisting on… are not a violation of the law, the Wolf Amendment,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently told CNN. “So far, I don’t see a violation.”

But such issues have left China locked out of the International Space Station (ISS), spurring its efforts to build Tiangong — which has become a competitor to the US, especially as the ISS prepares to retire in 2031.

These limitations on international space collaboration and China’s own rise have caused some Chinese social media users to feel vindicated by the latest discovery, with online comments and state media coverage praising advances in the national space program.

“This is a demonstration of our country’s scientific and technological strength!” posted one user on the Chinese social media site Weibo, where a hashtag about the discovery was viewed 35 million times.

Another user thanked the country’s space program, writing: “We are at the global forefront of lunar scientific research.”

Others on Weibo called for greater cooperation for the benefit of humanity, pointing out that the study was published in an international journal reviewed by experts from several nations.

“We can’t work behind closed doors – it would be better to attract all scientists to China,” wrote one.

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This content was originally created in English.

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