- Scientists made this finding from lunar samples and images collected by the Chang'e 5 mission.
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| Full moon |
Chinese scientists have identified traces of water on the Moon. This was reported this Friday by the state media CGTN, which has specified that they managed to determine at least two sources of origin: water brought by solar winds and another native to the Moon.
The experts were based on information collected from lunar samples and images collected by the Chang'e 5 mission and published their conclusions in the scientific journal Nature Communications on Tuesday.
The region where the Chang'e 5 mission landed contained apatite minerals that showed indigenous traces of hydroxyl, which, made up of one hydrogen and one oxygen atom, is the main ingredient in water.
The apatites collected by Chang'e 5 have fewer crystal remains, which experts associate with solar winds, one of the possible sources of water on the Moon's surface.
The presence of crystals in the samples is a third lower than that recorded in those collected by the US mission Apollo 11, explains the state chain.
A scientific achievement for China
One of the purposes of Chang'e 5 was precisely to investigate the existence of lunar water, key to understanding the formation and evolution of our satellite.
The presence of water on the Moon could supply possible human settlements in the future, the medium points out.
The Chang'e program (named after a goddess who, according to Chinese legend, lives on the Moon) began with the launch of the first probe in 2007.
In recent years, Beijing has invested heavily in its space program and has achieved milestones such as the successful landing of a probe on the far side of the Moon in January 2019, an achievement that no country had achieved to date.