Scientists Find A Way To Unlock Water From Moon Dust
Language
Reading Level
Listen to Article
Alignment
Water is crucial for setting up a human base on the Moon. But if researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences succeed, this will no longer be a hurdle. They have found a way to produce large amounts of water using the hydrogen in lunar soil.
For their study, Professor Junqiang Wang and his team used lunar soil samples collected during the Chang'e-5 mission in 2020. They used concave mirrors to focus sunlight onto the dirt, heating it to over 1,700°F (926°C). This intense heat caused a chemical reaction between the hydrogen and other elements in the soil, releasing water vapor. The vapor was then collected and condensed into liquid water.
Even more exciting, heating just one gram of the lunar soil produced 51 to 76 milligrams of water. Scaled up, one ton of Moon dirt could produce over 100 pounds (45 kg) of drinkable water. This is enough to sustain up to 50 astronauts daily.
Beyond drinking water, the extracted water could support plant growth in lunar greenhouses. This would ensure a reliable food source for long-term missions. Additionally, astronauts could split water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen. The oxygen could be used for breathing and the hydrogen as rocket fuel.
The researchers, who published their findings in the journal Innovation in late 2024, still face some challenges. Since the method depends on solar energy, water extraction would only be possible during the two-week-long lunar day. It would completely halt during the lunar night, which lasts just as long.
Water production would also vary by location due to differences in soil composition. The team hopes to test their method on samples collected from various lunar regions during future missions. If these hurdles can be overcome, the ability to produce water on the Moon could be a game-changer. It would reduce costs and make long-term lunar exploration more feasible.
Resources: Sciencedaily.com, Zmescience.com, Reuters.com
Get the Workbook for this article!
Workbook contains: Article, Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking Questions, Vocabulary in Context (+ answers), Multiple Choice Quiz (+ answers), Parts of Speech Quiz (+ answers), Vocabulary Game (+ answers)Cite Article
Learn Keywords in this Article
29 Comments
kaylee14about 2 monthsI can't I need water and food I can't wear 50 pounds of gear in space and be suck in a rock it ship for mouths even years and not be able to breath? This could effect peoples lives if you think about it like this.- oloso2 monthsi can't tell you how excited i am for this:)
1_that_one_guy2 monthsWow, this is awesome! Thanks to this new discovery, it looks like people might actually be able to live on the Moon for their entire lives! Scientists figured out how to unlock water from Moon dust, which means we can use the resources right on the Moon. This could be a huge game-changer for long-term missions and even future Moon colonies. With enough water, humans could actually survive and thrive on the Moon without needing to rely on Earth for supplies!
cecilia06022 monthsCool
mudgette2 monthsNow people can live on the moon for their entire life!!
cadinicevika3 monthsI think that would happen is about 100 years.
thewatcher20003 monthsBut its SOOO hot up there so how would it not evaporate. Let alone mars.
twilighttiger673 monthsI think that it's interesting that they can create water on the moon, but how will they grow food?- honzyo3 monthswonder if there is life up there
sophiaak3 monthsOMG I hope that I can live on the moon one day.