Editing Sputtering (section)

===In space===
Sputtering is one of the forms of space weathering, a process that changes the physical and chemical properties of airless bodies, such as asteroids and the [[Moon]]. On icy moons, especially [[Europa (moon)|Europa]], sputtering of photolyzed water from the surface leads to net loss of hydrogen and accumulation of oxygen-rich materials that may be important for life. Sputtering is also one of the possible ways that [[Mars]] has lost most of its [[atmosphere]] and that [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]] continually replenishes its tenuous surface-bounded [[exosphere]].