The Moon and water!
NASA reveals that there is a significant amount of water on the Moon.
In a rather awful pun, NASA published update on the LCROSS Mission starts with the words, “The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water.“
The visible camera image showing the ejecta plume at about 20 seconds after impact.
Anyway, the significance of the update is enormous. As the NASA release goes on to say,
Scientists have long speculated about the source of vast quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected.
Permanently shadowed regions could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data. In addition, water, and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.
The BBC also reports the NASA data but, I am bound to say, in a rather more reader-friendly format.
By Paul Handover
Paul Handover
No doubt interesting, and long expected. Scientifically rich in future developments in the knowledge of the evolution of the solar system and galaxy.
But I doubt it could lead to rocket fuel (not enough, and too costly). Although moon water may help human settling, someday, once we have installed powerful energy sources on the moon (probably solar photovoltaic, on the high peaks of the south pole). In any case, settlers will have to learn to recycle, especially if some come from the debt ridden profligate USA!
PA
Patrice Ayme
November 17, 2009 at 02:13