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From SYFY Wire: The moon may look like a vast extraterrestrial desert, but on the molecular level, it has the potential to quench an astronaut’s thirst.

NASA scientists have discovered how future moonwalkers can use lunar chemistry to their advantage when it comes to getting a water refill. A study that simulated the chemistry that happens when the solar wind hits the moon, recently published in the journal JGR Planets, revealed that protons from the intense solar wind interact with electrons to form hydrogen atoms. That hydrogen then bonds with oxygen atoms in the silica (SiO2)-rich moon dust to form a hydroxyl molecule (OH) — a vital component of the hydrating stuff we take for granted on Earth.

If we’re going to pack up humans in a spaceship and blast them to the moon, we need to understand exactly how much potential water the moon is hiding. This is even more critical if our species is going to establish a permanent lunar base. Plasma physicists Orenthal James Tucker and William M. Farrell of NASA’s Goddard Space Center were two of the scientists who developed the simulation, with Tucker heading the research. They believe water, or at least the potential for it, isn’t so rare in space as we might believe.

“We think of water as this special, magical compound,” Farrell said. “But here’s what’s amazing: Every rock has the potential to make water, especially after being irradiated by the solar wind.”