Hydrogen detected in Apollo moon samples

The US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has discovered solar-wind hydrogen in Apollo lunar samples, provided by a NASA-funded research mission for investigation and testing.

Researchers said that water on the surface of the Moon is a ‘potentially vital’ resource for future moon bases and space exploration, but effective use of the resource depends on developing an understanding of where and how within lunar dust and soil (regolith) the water is formed and retained.

Solar wind hydrogen, which can form molecular hydrogen, water and/or hydroxyl on the lunar surface, reacts and is retained differently depending on regolith mineral content, thermal history, and other variables.

NRL used transmission electron microscopy to analyse Apollo lunar soil 79221, which uses a particle beam of electrons to view thin specimens and create a highly magnified image.

Hydrogen signatures were detected in samples in vesicles, small holes left behind after lava cools, which suggests that solar wind is being trapped in detectable quantities, proving a potential reservoir and source of hydrogen that could aid future bases and space explorations.