Large amounts of water found on Moon.

[CorinthiansBlackGT]

NASA's LCROSS probe discovered beds of water ice at the lunar south pole when it impacted the moon last month, mission scientists announced today.

"Indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit, we found a significant amount," Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator from NASA's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif.

The LCROSS probe impacted the lunar south pole at a crater called Cabeus on Oct. 9. The $79 million spacecraft, preceded by its Centaur rocket stage, hit the lunar surface in an effort to create a debris plume that could be analyzed by scientists for signs of water ice.

We had at the observatory a going theory as to why, the LCROSS impact wasnt visable. I remember going out with my 16" scope, the Observatories 30inch and 24inch scopes ect didn't see the impact plume.

Our theory was, that it had impacted a large glacier of so much water that their calculations of what they expected, The impact plume's height to be were off because of it.

The moons gravity is only about 16.5% of the earths. A dense hard packed layer of ice wouldn't fly apart as much as the fluffy moon surface we're used to seeing. A loosely packed layer of gravel, sand and dust.

So cool, water is in fact on the moon. I don't know if its a big ice cube at the bottom of the crater or a bunch of frozen mud. However, its a very old crater that never sees the sun. It's shielded from heat and solar wind that would evaporate away any water even on a seasonally exposed surface.

I hope they send a probe there now to drill into it and see just how much water is there and in what form. With the sun blazing just outside the craters surface, a large lake of water it would be a great place to setup a permanent spot on the moon.

[98Julik]

cool i guess what what does this do for anyone

[ACRucrazy]

In

[Biff Tannen]

We've never been to the moon.

[Ruiner]

I wonder how the bass fishin' is?

[00Formula]

This is the first time you've actually posted something that I thought was kind of cool

[CorinthiansBlackGT]

The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water.

Secrets the moon has been holding, for perhaps billions of years, are now being revealed to the delight of scientists and space enthusiasts alike.

NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus cater near the moon’s south pole.

The impact created by the LCROSS Centaur upper stage rocket created a two-part plume of material from the bottom of the crater. The first part was a high angle plume of vapor and fine dust and the second a lower angle ejecta curtain of heavier material. This material has not seen sunlight in billions of years.




Data from the down-looking near-infrared spectrometer. The red curve shows how the spectra would look for a "grey" or "colorless" warm (230 C) dust cloud. The yellow areas indicate the water absorption bands.
Credit: NASA
Click image for full resolution.
"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system. It turns out the moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

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.

Since the impacts, the LCROSS science team has been working almost nonstop analyzing the huge amount of data the spacecraft collected. The team concentrated on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the most definitive information about the presence of water. A spectrometer examines light emitted or absorbed by materials that helps identify their composition.


Data from the ultraviolet/visible spectrometer taken shortly after impact showing emission lines (indicated by arrows). These emission lines are diagnostic of compounds in the vapor/debris cloud.
Credit: NASA
Click image for full resolution.
"We are ecstatic," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water."

The team took the known near infrared spectral signatures of water and other materials and compared them to the spectra collected by the LCROSS near infrared spectrometer of the impact.

"We were only able to match the spectra from LCROSS data when we inserted the spectra for water," said Colaprete. "No other reasonable combination of other compounds that we tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from the Centaur also was ruled out."

Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that was attributed to hydroxyl, one product from the break-up of water by sunlight. When atoms and molecules are excited, they release energy at specific wavelengths that are detected by the spectrometers. A similar process is used in neon signs. When electrified, a specific gas will produce a distinct color. The ultraviolet visible spectrometer detected hydroxyl signatures just after impact that are consistent with a water vapor cloud in sunlight.

Data from the other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site. The LCROSS science team along with colleagues are poring over the data to understand the entire impact event, from flash to crater, with the final goal being the understanding of the distribution of materials, and in particular volatiles, within the soil at the impact site.

"The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich," said Colaprete. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years."

LCROSS was launched June 18, 2009 as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After separating from LRO, the LCROSS spacecraft held onto the spent Centaur upper stage rocket of the launch vehicle, executed a lunar swingby and entered into a series of long looping orbits around the Earth.

After traveling approximately 113 days and nearly 5.6 million miles (9 million km), the Centaur and LCROSS separated on final approach to the moon. Traveling a fast as a speeding bullet, the Centaur impacted the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. PDT Oct. 9 with LCROSS watching with its onboard instruments. Approximately four minutes of data was collected before the LCROSS itself impacted the lunar surface.

Working closely with scientists from LRO and other observatories that viewed the impact, the LCROSS team is working to understand the full scope of the LCROSS data. LRO continues to make passes over the impact site to give the LCROSS team additional insight into the mechanics of the impact and its resulting craters.

What other secrets will the moon reveal? The analysis continues!

"Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact.

NASA's official press release. The second quote comes from it. It basically states that not only was there water vapor, but the LCROSS impact smashed ice cubes into sub moon orbit.

I hope this isn't all hype to get some funding for NASA, But I tell you what I wanna be the first kid on my block to get my very own glass of 100% Moon Water.

[Miekk]

But I tell you what I wanna be the first kid on my block to get my very own glass of 100% Moon Water.

Americans will be the first to contaminate it...

[HeavySS]

I wonder how the bass fishin' is?

LOL'ed!!

[RNSF]

sweet

[5-door]

Water on the moon is very good news. This means WWD will advance into its final stage, known as UWD.

[xenodragon]

Why is water on other planets such a huge deal....does everyone honestly believe we are the only forms of life in the WHOLE universe?

[Scotty07]

This is the first time you've actually posted something that I thought was kind of cool

[Scotty07]

Why is water on other planets such a huge deal....does everyone honestly believe we are the only forms of life in the WHOLE universe?

Yeah, what is there, something like 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe? The chances are that at least ONE of them has a planet similar to Earth.

[Xtort]

Why is water on other planets such a huge deal....does everyone honestly believe we are the only forms of life in the WHOLE universe?

Finding life is only a bonus at this point. The main interest in finding water is for mission sustainability.