NASA Discovered Chemical Factory For Water On Moon

NASA has discovered a chemical factory for water on the moon, which could possibly become a human settlement in the future.

A collection of charged particles called the solar wind careens, are enriching the moon's surface with materials that could form water.

This discovery has been improved with the help of computer program. NASA explained the process involved with a short statement, saying:
"As the sun streams protons to the moon, they found those particles interact with electrons in the luner surface, producing hydrogen atoms. These atoms then migrate through the surface and latch into the abundant oxygen atoms bound in the silica (SiO2) and other oxygen-bearing molecules that make up the luner soil, or regolith. Together, hydrogen and oxygen make the molecule hydroxyl (OH), a component of water.

NASA's major goal now is to understand how much water or its chemical components is readily available on the moon so humans can be send to establish a permanent presence there, said Orenthal James Tucker, a physicist at Goddard who spearheaded the research.

A key ramification of the outcome, Farrell said, is that every exposed body of silica in space from the moon down to a tiny dust particle has the potential to create hydroxyl and thus become a chemical factory for water.