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Where did water on the moon come from? Chinese scientists find clues in lunar samples

  • Analysis of soil brought back to Earth suggests part of the answer is in the moon’s interior
  • Researchers also found fewer signs of water than previously thought

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Researchers transfer a container loaded with moon samples retrieved by the Chang’e 5 probe in Beijing in December 2020. Photo: Xinhua
Ling Xin

The water content of soil on one part of the moon appears to be much lower than previously thought, according to Chinese analysis of data from the lunar surface.

And a significant part of the water detected in returned samples during lab analysis appears to have come from the interior of the moon, the researchers said in a paper published in the international journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.

The team looked at samples and readings collected from the landing site of the Chang’e 5 unmanned lunar exploration mission in 2020, the first from China to land on the moon and bring samples back.

Equipment on the Chang’e 5 lander scanned the surface and measured the mean water content to around 30 parts per million (ppm), or 30 grams of water per tonne of soil.

The result was remarkably low compared to previous analysis, including research published in January by another Chinese team that concluded the maximum water concentration in surface soil at 120ppm.

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China’s Chang’e 5 lunar mission returns to Earth with moon samples

China’s Chang’e 5 lunar mission returns to Earth with moon samples

Liu Jianjun, from the National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing, said the Chang’e 5 equipment measured the presence of hydroxyl, a close chemical relative of water that is also an indicator of water.

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