New insights into future lunar exploration: scientists detect hydrogen in lunar soil for the first time
CTOnews.com, Nov. 28 (Xinhua) A team of scientists recently analyzed lunar soil samples taken during the Apollo mission and detected hydrogen for the first time, breaking the inherent consensus on the composition of the moon.
One of the lunar meteorites recovered by the Apollo 17 mission. Tu Yuan NASA US Naval Research Laboratory scientific team deeply analyzed lunar soil samples of 79221 and found traces of hydrogen, which will play a vital role in future lunar exploration and habitat establishment.
Launching a bottle of water to the moon costs thousands of dollars, and the discovery of hydrogen could reduce costs and allow astronauts to use local materials to use lunar ice as water, according to NASA.
On October 26, 2020, NASA issued a statement saying that its stratospheric Infrared Observatory (SOFIA) had discovered water on the solar surface of the moon for the first time. This discovery suggests that water may be distributed throughout the lunar surface, not just in the cold and shaded areas of the moon's north and south poles.
Dr. Katherine D. Burgess, a geologist in the Department of Materials Science and Technology of NRL, said:
With more conventional or permanent devices on the lunar surface, hydrogen will become an important resource that can be used directly on the lunar surface.
This is the first time scientists have shown that hydrogen was detected in vesicles of lunar samples. Previously, the same NRL team used state-of-the-art techniques such as scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy to detect helium in lunar samples.
The latest study suggests that future astronauts may be able to collect water from multiple places on the moon, use it as rocket propellant and support human habitation on the moon. The related paper was published in the latest issue of Communication Earth and Environment. CTOnews.com attached the reference address of the paper: Burgess, K.D., Cymes, B.A. & Stroud, R.M. Hydrogen-bearing vesicles in space weathered lunar calcium-phosphates. Commun Earth Environ 4414 (2023). Https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-023-01060-5 .
