Water found on the MOON
Offline http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/space/11/13/water.moon.nasa/index.html
CNN) -- NASA said Friday it had discovered water on the moon, opening "a new chapter" that could allow for the development of a lunar space station.
The discovery was announced by project scientist Anthony Colaprete at a midday news conference.
"I'm here today to tell you that indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit; we found a significant amount" -- about a dozen, two-gallon bucketfuls, he said, holding up several white plastic containers.
The find is based on preliminary data collected when the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, intentionally crashed October 9 into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the moon's south pole.
After the satellite struck, a rocket flew through the debris cloud, measuring the amount of water and providing a host of other data, Colaprete said.
The project team concentrated on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the best information about the presence of water, Colaprete said. A spectrometer helps identify the composition of materials by examining light they emit or absorb.
Although the goal of the $79 million mission was to determine whether there is water on the moon, discoveries in other areas are expected as studies progress, Colaprete and other scientists said at the briefing at NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near San Francisco, California.
"The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon," the space agency said in a written statement shortly after the briefing began.
Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, said the latest discovery also could unlock the mysteries of the solar system.
He listed several options as sources for the water, including solar winds, comets, giant molecular clouds or even the moon itself through some kind of internal activity. The Earth also may have a role, Wargo said.
"If the water that was formed or deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps 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," NASA said in its statement.
"In addition, water and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration."
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You get a line; I'll get a pole, honey.
You get a line; I'll get a pole honey.
You get a line and I'll get a pole,
and we'll go fishin' in the crawdad hole,
honey, oh baby, mine!
And remember whoever gets there first gets to claim all the water for themselves.
Oh? i thought it was already settled... Amurica owns the moon, they landed first and claimed it first... no?
Ah well, missed oppertunities...
What Would Kharn Do?
CNN: Reporting two year old news. lol.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Yeah, sorry, but the US already got their flag there, so they own the moon.
But hey, Mars is still free for the taking.
When you say it like that you make it sound so Sinister...
(Eddie Izzard is lovely.)
BigUniverse wrote,
"Well the things that happen less often are more likely to be the result of the supper natural. A thing like loosing my keys in the morning is not likely supper natural, but finding a thousand dollars or meeting a celebrity might be."
"Yeah, before we knew there was at least somewater"
It was my understanding that we knew there was a fair amount. Like tonnes. Or maybe I'm confusing it with massive quantities of Hydrogen.
Edit: No, that can't be the case, as Hydrogen alone is insufficient to burn as fuel. Going to have to stay with we already knew this. Perhaps the measurements are more refined, but there is no news here.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Meh. I swear I remember reading an article at LEAST months ago stating that there was shitloads of fuel (water, with Hydrogen and Oxygen to burn) found on the moon, but I can't find it now. I'll retract until I relocate it and confirm the contents.
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Semi-vindication. From last year: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/07/water-found-on/
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
oooo ima put a flag on your face! I claim it. Do you have a flag on your face already? if not....
Whatever goes upon two legs is an enemy.
Whatever goes upon four legs, or has wings, is a friend.
No animal shall wear clothes.
No animal shall sleep in a bed.
No animal shall drink alcohol.
No animal shall kill any other animal.
All animals are equal.
No, but I do have a flag on my HEAD!
IN AMERICA!!
A potential flaw: China is currently closer to a manned mission to the moon than the US. If they succeed, and the moon is US territory, it could be argued that China will have conquered a segment of the US without firing a shot.
> >
Enlightened Atheist, Gaming God.
Imagine how they'll all get their panties in a bunch. "Oh, no its ours, time to build rockets for Jesus so we can get it back." Reminds me on an episode of South Park.