Chang'e-6 Mission Reveals Water Distribution Disparity on Lunar Surface

Chinese scientists have discovered that the lunar mantle contains less water on the far side compared to the near side. This finding is based on an analysis of basalts collected by the Chang'e-6 lunar mission. The research, led by Professor Hu Sen from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, indicates a potential hemispheric dichotomy in the internal water distribution of the Moon. The findings were published in the journal Nature. Analysis focused on the water content and hydrogen isotopes within basalts brought back from the far side of the Moon. This new estimate of water content in the lunar mantle refines the understanding of the Moon's water inventory and provides constraints on the giant impact hypothesis for the Moon's origin.