•The sources and chemical forms of water on the Moon are two: water carried by comets and other bodies that impact the Moon, and in situ production. The latter is theorized to be produced in small amounts by the chemical combination of hydrogen ions (protons) in the solar wind with oxygen atoms in the Moon’s minerals (oxides, silicates, etc.), forming water or its possible precursors, hydroxyl groups, trapped in a crystal lattice. Water (H2O) and the hydroxyl group (-OH), which is chemically bound to it (as opposed to free water), exist as compounds in the minerals’ hydrates and hydroxides. There is strong evidence that these compounds are present in large parts of the Moon’s surface at low concentrations. In fact, adsorbed water has been estimated to be present at concentrations of one part per million to one part per thousand. This mineral-bound water, or hydroxylated mineral surface, should not be confused with water ice.
Uncertain evidence of the presence of liquid water on the Moon has been found in various models that assume the presence of bound hydrogen. Moon scientists have been debating the possibility of water deposits for decades. Now, they write in a report that they are “confident that the decades-long debate is over.” “There is water on the Moon everywhere, not just in minerals, but in fragmented form on the surface and possibly in the form of ice blocks or slabs deep down.”
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