China's Chang'e-5 lunar probe has discovered traces of water in samples of the moon's soil, according to a recent study published in Nature Astronomy. This groundbreaking finding sheds new light on the moon's composition and has major implications for future lunar missions.
China has been rapidly advancing its space program, with a series of successful missions and ambitious plans for the future. The Chang'e-5 mission, which returned to Earth in 2020 with rock and soil samples from the moon, marks a significant achievement in the country's space exploration efforts.
The existence of water on the moon has been a topic of interest for decades. While NASA's infrared detector confirmed the presence of water on the moon in 2020, the Chang'e-5 samples provide new insights into the form and distribution of water on the lunar surface.
The lunar samples collected by Chang'e-5 revealed the presence of trace water, with scientists suggesting that water molecules can persist in sunlit areas of the moon in the form of hydrated salts. This finding has significant implications for our understanding of the moon's composition and the potential for future lunar missions.
China's space program is showing no signs of slowing down, with plans to send a crewed mission to the moon by 2030 and establish a lunar base. The country's ambitious space goals also include building a space station and exploring the far side of the moon.
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