Glass beads on moon’s surface may hold billions of tonnes of water, scientists say

Tiny glass beads strewn across the moon’s surface contain potentially billions of tonnes of water that could be extracted and used by astronauts on future lunar missions, researchers say.

The discovery is thought to be one of the most important breakthroughs yet for space agencies that have set their sights on building bases on the moon, as it means there could be a highly accessible source of not only water but also hydrogen and oxygen.

Unlike frozen water lurking in permanently shaded craters, this should be far easier to extract by humans or robots working on the moon.

The water appears to form when high-energy particles streaming from the sun – the so-called solar wind – strike the molten droplets.

According to Prof Sen Hu, a senior co-author of the study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, such impact glasses could store and release water on other airless rocks in the solar system.

“This work adds to the growing consensus that the moon is more water-rich than previously thought,” said Ian Crawford, professor of planetary science and astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London.