Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
BEIJING, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) — An international team of researchers has revealed for the first time the presence of water and its distribution on the surface and subsurface of the Moon using data collected by China's Chang'e-6 lunar probe.
The study, published in the journal Nature Astronomy, highlighted the important role of solar wind and the impact of comets or meteorites in the mechanisms and evolutionary processes that determine the formation and distribution of water on the lunar surface.
Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with colleagues from the University of Hawaii, analyzed data obtained at the Chang'e-6 landing site. They discovered that zones of fine-grained regolith, where the spacecraft's thrusters swept away some of the layer during its landing, exhibit characteristic patterns in temperature distribution and water content, caused by the redistribution of the fine-grained regolith layer.
These jets from the lander's engines, which displace and expose a layer of regolith between 1 mm and 1 cm during descent, provide a rare opportunity to study subsurface waters.
According to the study, the water content of exposed fine-grained regolith in the shallow subsurface averages approximately 76 ppm, which is lower than the surface content of about 105 ppm.
In addition, the Chang'e-6 landing site contains, on average, approximately twice as much water as the Chang'e-5 landing site.
As a reminder, in 2024, the Chang'e-6 lunar mission became the first in human history to collect samples from the far side of the Moon within the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA). In 2020, the Chinese probe Chang'e-5 landed in the northwestern part of the Oceanus tempestus on the visible side of the Moon and returned lunar soil samples to Earth.
A team of scientists found that water content at the same location varied depending on the local time of day, reaching a minimum at local midday.
The researchers suggest that differences in water content correlate with regolith composition, particle size, rock depth, and local time of day, supporting the hypothesis that solar wind action and impact plowing from meteorites or comets drive the evolutionary processes of water formation and distribution on the Moon.
These results indicate that fine-grained regolith on the lunar surface and immediately beneath it may be a prime target for future exploitation of lunar surface water resources.
China's Chang'e-8 lunar probe, scheduled for launch in 2029, will explore Leibniz Beta Planum near the Moon's south pole. In collaboration with the earlier Chang'e-7 mission, scheduled for 2026, it will conduct scientific research and in-situ resource utilization experiments, laying the groundwork for a future international lunar research station.
China has initiated the creation of an international lunar research station, a scientific and experimental facility consisting of modules on the lunar surface and in lunar orbit. It is planned to be built in two stages: a basic model will be built by 2035 near the lunar south pole, and an expanded model will be completed in the 2040s. -0-
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate account of the source's assertions and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
.