'80,000 years in 1 week': NASA simulates lunar history to unlock Moon’s water secret

Produced by: Manoj Kumar

Sun Spray

Solar wind hurls hydrogen protons that smash into lunar minerals, unlocking oxygen atoms to form water—a breakthrough confirmed by NASA’s Li Hsia Yeo in a lab replication.

Lunar Recipe

All it takes is sunlight and Moon dust. Hydrogen from the Sun and oxygen in lunar soil naturally combine to form H₂O, creating a new survival resource for future missions.

Space Chemistry

NASA scientists simulated 80,000 years of solar exposure in days using Apollo 17 dust, proving solar particles can build water molecule by molecule in vacuum conditions.

Moon Dust

Baked lunar samples stripped of Earth moisture revealed new water signals when bombarded by solar-like particles—an unprecedented experimental success.

Hidden Cycle

Water forms daily and disappears again. Strongest in cool mornings, weakest at noon heat—this lunar hydration cycle suggests water might be continually replenished.

Mission Fuel

Water from solar wind could power Artemis missions. NASA plans to harvest lunar resources, and this process might add vital reserves even outside shadowed poles.

Dust Factory

Jason McLain, co-author, said their system was a “lab-sized Moon.” The intricate setup mimicked lunar vacuum, blocking Earth’s influence to capture pure results.

Beyond Moon

Asteroids and Mercury may also host solar-driven water. This discovery expands what we know about water chemistry on rocky bodies across the solar system.

Old Idea, New Proof

The theory’s been around for decades. This is the first lab evidence confirming the solar wind's water-making power—ending the debate with hard data.