Chang’e 5 lander confirms water on the Moon

Saturday, June 18, 2022 - 01:00

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Indications that water could be present in the rocks gathered by Chang'e 5 lander on the Moon have been confirmed by testing on Earth, Chinese scientists have reported. They've shared their findings in an article, published this week in the magazine Nature Communications.

据中国科学家报道，“嫦娥五号”着陆器在月球上收集的岩石中可能存在水的迹象已经在地球上的测试中得到证实。他们在本周发表在《自然通讯》杂志上的一篇文章中分享了他们的发现。

The lunar lander touched down on the Moon in December 2020, gathering some 1.7 kilograms (over 3.5lbs) of rocks and lunar soil, known as regolith.

月球着陆器于2020年12月在月球着陆，收集了约1.7公斤(超过3.5磅)的岩石和月球土壤，即风化层。

Regolith：/ˈreɡəlɪθ/n. [地质] 风化层；表皮土；土被

The craft also used its on-board instruments to measure the chemical composition of the samples that it collected.

该飞船还使用其自带的仪器来测量它收集样本的化学成分。

This data allowed Chinese researchers to suggest that molecules of water could be present at about 120 parts per million (ppm) in some type of moon rocks and at 180ppm in others. Now, a team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences has confirmed the presence of water in the samples by directly studying the cargo that Chang'e-5 brought back to Earth. The soil analyzed by the scientists turned out to be relatively dry – even by lunar standards – showing levels of water at 28.5 parts per million. However, they also discovered that the mineral apatite was among the samples to boast an H2O content of 179ppm, which was consistent with earlier forecasts.

这一数据使中国研究人员提出，在某些类型的月球岩石中，水分子可能存在约120ppm，而在其他类型的月球岩石中，水分子可能存在约180ppm。现在，中国科学院的一个研究小组通过直接研究嫦娥五号带回地球的样本，确认了样品中存在水。科学家们分析的土壤相对干燥——即使以月球的标准衡量——显示水的含量为28.5ppm。然而，他们还发现，磷灰石是其中一种具有179ppm的水含量的样品，这与早期的预测一致。

parts per million (ppm) 百万分之，百万分率

molecule /ˈmɒlɪˌkjuːl/分子 •...the hydrogen bonds between water molecules.  …水分子之间的氢连接。

apatite/ˈapətaɪt/ 磷灰石

Telescope and satellite observations have long led scientists to suspect that water existed on the Moon, as either hydroxyl or H20 in the rocks.

长期以来，通过望远镜和卫星观测，科学家们一直怀疑月球上存在水，即岩石中的羟基或水。

hydroxyl /haɪ'drɒksaɪl; haɪ'drɒksɪl/n. 羟基，氢氧基

英文链接：http://www.dailynews.lk/2022/06/18/world/281153/chang%E2%80%99e-5-lander-confirms-water-moon