Scientists find water inside glass beads on the moon

Scientists have discovered water inside tiny beads of glass scattered across the Moon.

The Moon was long believed to be dry, but over the last few decades several missions have shown there is water both on the surface and trapped inside minerals.

Mahesh Anand, a professor of planetary science* at the UK’s Open University, said that water molecules* could be seen “hopping over the lunar surface” when it was sunny.

“But we didn’t know where exactly it was coming from,” said Mr Anand.

The study, carried out by a team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the glass beads are “probably the dominant* reservoir* involved in the lunar surface water cycle”.

The team analysed* 117 glass beads which were scooped* up by China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft in December 2020 and brought back to Earth.

The beads are formed by tiny meteorites* that bombard* the surface of the Moon, which lacks* the protection of an atmosphere*.

The heat of the impact melts the surface material, which cools into round glass beads around the width of a strand of hair.

The glass beads may make up around three to five per cent of lunar soil*, according to the study

It is suggested that there could be around a third of a trillion tonnes of water inside all the Moon’s glass beads, and it only takes mild heat of around 100 degrees Celsius to free the water from the beads, Mr Anand said.

While much more research is needed, he said that heating and processing these materials could supply the “explorers of tomorrow*” with water, or even oxygen, to help them search “other worlds in a sustainable*, responsible manner”.

The European Space Agency’s robotic drill PROSPECT, scheduled to launch for the Moon in 2025, could be the first to be able to collect and extract water in such a way, he said.

NASA’s VIPER mission, planned to launch late next year, will head to the Moon’s South Pole aiming to analyse water ice.

And in the coming years NASA’s Artemis mission plans to return humans to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972.

GLOSSARY

• planetary science: the scientific study of planets
• molecules: a group of atoms that forms the smallest unit that a substance can be divided into
• dominant: commanding, controlling, or being powerful over all others
• reservoir: where water is stored
• analysed: to examine something in detail
• scooped: to lift something up
• meteorites: stone or metal that has reached the earth from outer space;
• bombard: to attack repeatedly
• lacks: to be short or have need of something
• atmosphere: mass of air surrounding the earth
• lunar soil: soil found on the moon
• explorers of tomorrow: future space astronauts and space scientists
• sustainable: avoiding the destruction of natural resources

EXTRA READING

Suiting up for space

Keeping time on the moon

Space junk crash leaves double crater in moon

QUICK QUIZ

1. Tiny beads of glass have been found on the surface of the moon and where else?
2. Which team carried out the study?
3. How many glass beads were scooped up by China’s Chang’e-5 spacecraft?
4. The glass beads make up what percentage of lunar soil?
5. Why are the glass beads exciting news for the ‘explorers of tomorrow?’

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Design a machine
Design a special space machine or device to be used on the surface of the moon. The purpose of your machine is to safely harvest or collect the water from the glass

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Design and Technologies, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
How could glass develop on the moon? Use information in the story to create a diagram showing how this happens. Use your research skills to check your information and add to your diagram.

Time: allow 40 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

VCOP ACTIVITY
Read this!
A headline on an article – or a title on your text – should capture the attention of the audience, telling them to read this now. So choosing the perfect words for a headline or title is very important.

Create three new headlines for the events that took place in this article. Remember, what you write and how you write it will set the pace for the whole text, so make sure it matches.

Read out your headlines to a partner and discuss what the article will be about based on the headline you created. Discuss the tone and mood you set in just your few, short words. Does it do the article justice? Will it capture the audience’s attention the way you hoped? Would you want to read more?

Consider how a headline or title is similar to using short, sharp sentences throughout your text. They can be just as important as complex ones. Go through the last text you wrote and highlight any short, sharp sentences that capture the audience.