Water Found on the Moon

What was once thought of as a ball of dust and desolation, the surface of the moon has more water on it than anyone ever knew. Water is the critical element which makes it possible to live on the moon for extended periods of time and could be the stepping stone to other planetary exploration. Also, the water’s molecules can be broken down to Hydrogen and Oxygen to make fuel.

The samples which were brought back from past lunar missions had trace water amounts but everyone assumed this was due to the seals on the containers. However satellites orbiting the moon have found ice on the surface amounting to billions of gallons of water. This is a phenomenal breakthrough since each gallon of water costs $80,000 to launch into space.

The distribution of water is at high latitudes toward the poles. The terrain of the moon makes it difficult to get to the water. This means that NASA will have to complete and have a successful land rover to be able to traverse the surface and be able to drive long distances. You can learn more about this in the National Geographic video below.

In a few weeks, NASA plans to crash a rocket into the moon where a satellite can measure precisely what it kicks up.

Today’s NASA image is a Mineralogy Mapper of the Moon and can be found in the sidebar at the end of this page.