China’s Chang’e 5 lunar probe has brought back samples of water molecules from the moon’s surface. This is the first time this has been successful. Chinese scientists are very excited, says Anthony Brown, an associate professor at the Leiden Observatory. “This could be a source of water for the base they want to build on the moon.”
Wednesday_07:16 min 47 sec_Studio1
No water was found around the lunar equator during the Apollo missions from 1961 to 1972. “That’s where the idea that the moon is dry came from.” However, a few years ago, a NASA observatory on Earth decided that there must be water, especially at the poles. What makes the discovery at this location so special is that it’s a much more suitable location for a potential base. It’s difficult to build a base and survive near the poles.
The Chinese probe took the sample from a well in a plain north of the equator. The water was found in salts containing water molecules, especially ammonium chloride and magnesium. If there is a manned base on the moon, water could likely be extracted from these salts.
Date of Origin
The most popular theory is that the Moon formed when Earth collided with a Mars-sized body early in its history. “A lot of material was released and some of it became the Moon.” It was already known that the composition of the Moon’s mantle and Earth’s were very similar. “But this provides more insight into the history of both bodies.”
One question scientists want to answer is whether water was already present on the early Earth, or whether it came from the body that collided with it. “Of course it’s possible that both of the colliding bodies had water. But either way I think it says something new about this history.
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