Chinese spacecraft makes a significant lunar discovery

The Moon may hold up to 270 billion tons of water trapped inside tiny glass spheres formed when asteroids hit its surface, according to a new study of lunar soil samples. The samples were retrieved during China's 2020 robotic Chang'e-5 exploration mission. The beads, which range in size from 50 micrometers to one millimeter, usually form when an asteroid or comet crashes into the Moon, sending up molten particles which then cool down and become part of the moonscape. The researchers believe that the beads fill with water when hit by solar winds, which carry hydrogen and oxygen from the sun across space. The study also looked at water diffusion processes, estimating that the beads could be refilled with water every few years, suggesting an efficient water recharge mechanism that could sustain the lunar surface water cycle.

China has an ambitious lunar program and is working toward staging a landing on the Moon before 2030. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson has recognized that China has achieved "enormous success and advances" in its space program.