Chinese scientists have made important discoveries about lunar soil →

Remote sensing exploration has revealed that water (OH/H₂O) is ubiquitous on the lunar surface. However, due to the lack of direct sample analysis evidence, the origin and distribution of lunar surface water have been controversial.

Mineral water content and hydrogen isotope ratios

Recently, a research team from the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, conducted research on the Chang'e-5 lunar soil samples. Through infrared spectroscopy and nano-ion probe analysis, they found that there is a large amount of solar wind-derived water in the surface layer of Chang'e-5 minerals. They estimated that the water content contributed by solar wind proton injection to the Chang'e-5 lunar soil is at least 170 ppm .

TEM image of the surface microstructure of Chang'e 5 minerals

Combining transmission electron microscopy and energy spectrum analysis, it was revealed that the formation and preservation of solar wind-derived water are mainly affected by the exposure time, crystal structure and composition of minerals. The study confirmed that lunar surface minerals are an important "reservoir" of water, providing an important reference for the distribution of water in the mid-latitude regions of the lunar surface. This result was recently published in the international academic journal Nature Communications.

Source: CCTV.com