Xorte logo

News Markets Groups

USA | Europe | Asia | World| Stocks | Commodities



Add a new RSS channel

 
 


Keywords

2023-03-27 22:00:30| Engadget

Chinas Change 5 rover has found tiny glass beads containing water in an impact crater on the Moon. Samples collected from a 2020 mission found beads with water content as high as 2,000 parts per million (PPM). Given the prevalence of these glass spheres on the lunar surface, there may be enough to provide 71 trillion gallons of water.Some beads formed when asteroids collided with the Moon millions of years ago, while others came from ancient volcanoes. Scientists believe the water originated from a chemical reaction when hydrogen ions emitted from the sun transported to the lunar surface from solar winds combined with oxygen atoms inside the beads. The water-filled beads are tiny, ranging from tens of micrometers to a few millimeters. Still, there are enough on the Moons surface to (theoretically) supply an estimated 270 trillion kilograms of water enough to fill 100 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.However, scientists havent yet figured out how to collect them, and they would need to heat them to around 212 degrees Fahrenheit to extract water. Still, they could be a resource for future lunar settlements, where astronauts could use water for drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning and even producing rocket fuel.Scientists believe other moons in our Solar System may have similar beads. Our direct measurements of this surface reservoir of lunar water show that impact glass beads can store substantial quantities of solar wind-derived water on the moon and suggest that impact glass may be water reservoirs on other airless bodies, the studys authors wrote. The presence of water, stored in impact glass beads, is consistent with the remote detection of water at lower-latitude regions of the Moon, Vesta and Mercury. Our findings indicate that the impact glasses on the surface of Solar System airless bodies are capable of storing solar wind-derived water and releasing it to space.The glass beads arent our first glimpse at water on the Moon. In 2009, NASA crashed a probe into the Cabeus crater that led to water detection; in 2018, NASA found direct evidence of ice deposits in the Moons permanently shadowed craters on its north and south poles. NASA and China / Russia plan to put lunar bases at the Moons South Pole within the next decade; the competing initiatives both hope to have inhabitable bases ready by the early-to-mid-2030s.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/water-trapped-in-tiny-glass-beads-on-the-moon-could-hydrate-future-settlements-200030344.html?src=rss


Category: Marketing and Advertising

 

Latest from this category

04.07Otriums AI models give unsold fashion a second chance
03.07Top 10 Favorite Creator-Led Brands [Infographic]
03.07AI Update, July 3, 2025: AI News and Views From the Past Week
03.07The Power of Emotional Advertising in B2B Brand-Building: Feelings vs. Function
03.07In Relooted, gamers plan the perfect heist to reclaim Africas stolen artifacts
02.07The State of Hybrid Work
02.07Thought Leadership for Lead Generation: A Smart Key for Unlocking Transformational Growth
01.07Eight Less Traditional Ways People Are Using AI at Work
Marketing and Advertising »

All news

05.07Today's Headlines
05.07Labour might be down, but it's not necessarily out - voters reflect on a year in power
05.07Council tax plan could 'reduce' help for poorest
05.07Charity warns of unprecedented food demand
05.07Plans for Tru by Hilton hotel advance near I-80, La Grange Road exchange
05.07How to avoid creating AI zombies in your workplace
05.07Crying at work: A sign of strength, weakness or just being human?
05.07Today in History: Roosevelt signs the National Labor Relations Act
More »
Privacy policy . Copyright . Contact form .