In a significant advancement for space exploration, researchers from the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory have discovered solar wind hydrogen in lunar rock samples. Lunar Soil Hydrogen Discovery.
This discovery points to the potential of water on the moon’s surface, offering a vital resource for future lunar bases and long-term space exploration. The Apollo moon soil samples, provided by a NASA-funded research mission, were crucial in this groundbreaking study, recently published in the “Communications Earth & Environment” journal.
The research team, led by scientists from the Material Science and Technology Division of the laboratory, focused on understanding how lunar and asteroid surfaces interact with the space environment, known as space weathering. Previous tests on additional Apollo samples had already identified solar wind helium in lunar soil grains. The newly discovered hydrogen is believed to have originated from continuous solar wind showers and even comet impacts on the moon.
Dr. Catherine DeBerges, a geologist at the laboratory, states, “This is the first time scientists have proven the existence of hydrogen-bearing species within vesicles in lunar samples. Previously, the same team used advanced technologies like penetrating electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy to detect helium in lunar samples. Other researchers had found water in samples from other planets, but this is the first publication to demonstrate hydrogen in situ in lunar samples.”
NASA estimates that delivering a bottle of water to the moon’s surface could cost thousands of dollars. Therefore, utilizing the moon’s indigenous ice as water for astronauts could significantly reduce costs. In 2020, data from “SOFIA,” a now-retired infrared-operating flying telescope, indicated that water on the moon could be distributed as ice across its surface, not just in permanently shadowed pools near its poles.
This hydrogen discovery opens new doors for sustainable lunar bases and further space exploration, emphasizing the importance of analyzing and utilizing space resources in future missions.
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