, the scientists outlined how they identified natural glass fibers in lunar samples for the first time.The lunar samples carrying the glass fibers were retrieved by China's Chang'e 5 robotic Moon mission. Chang'e 5, China'sSee Also
Analysis of the samples showed that the soil had the required properties for forming and molding glass material. This "confirms the possibility of manufacturing glass construction materials on the lunar surface," Shen Laiquan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Physics, explained in theThe researchers stated that glass on the Moon was formed due to processes including volcanic activity, solar wind irradiation, and meteorite bombardment.
This idea echoes We Weiren, a leading scientist at the China National Space Administration, who recently stated that scientists plan to use 3D printing technology to transform lunar regolith into various construction materials.What's more, the glass could serve the double purpose of providing a great amount of insight into the Moon's past.
"This glass, with different origins, can therefore record crucial information with regard to its formation processes over geological time scales, and provide insights into many fundamental questions about the moon involving the duration of volcanism, the bombardment history of the solar system, the origins of lunar water and the moon's past magnetism," they continued.
Lunar regolith, or soil, has long been known to be a versatile material. Last year, a team of scientists also proposed that lunar soil could be used to
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