Moon's Glass Beads Hold Surprising Water Reservoirs

Scientists have discovered water trapped inside tiny beads of glass on the moon, according to an analysis of lunar soil samples retrieved during China's Chang'e-5 mission. The glass beads were found to hold a water content of up to about 2,000 parts per million by weight, suggesting a potential reservoir of water for future human activities on the lunar surface. The water molecules were formed through the action of the solar wind on the moon's surface, and researchers see promise in obtaining water from the glass beads through a heating process to release vapour that would then turn into liquid through condensation.