“Our data suggest that the Moon inherited water dating back to the formation of the Earth, followed by subsequent contributions by comets, which contributed to the water reservoirs observed today,” comments Maxwell Thiemens, in a press release broadcast by VUB. The oxygen isotopic composition of lunar water thus has strong similarities with enstatite chondrites, a type of meteorite considered to be the “building material” of our planet. Furthermore, a significant proportion of lunar water also shows isotopic similarities with those of comets.
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This work goes against the dominant theory until now, according to which the majority of the water present on the Moon would have been produced in situ by the effects of the solar wind with lunar silicates, swarming atoms of hydrogen. According to this new study, we would therefore rather find ourselves in the presence of a cocktail resulting from a complex mixture of sources.
As several powers are racing to establish permanent lunar bases, this discovery has major implications for the establishment of a long-term human presence on our satellite, concludes the VUB.
