NASA Finds Millions of Tons of Water Ice in Lunar Craters, No Moon Bombing Necessary

"...separated into oxygen and hydrogen to provide rocket fuel and drinking water, and perhaps even be used to help power a moon base's fuel cells."

I don't know how keen the author is on drinking pure hydrogen or oxygen, but I know I don't normally have a hankerin' for them haha.

--GTO--

One would be hard-pressed to find a more ardent supporter of manned Mars missions, but we cannot deny the benefit of building a robust presence on the Moon in the interim. With so much Water-ice present both North and South on the Moon, where better to prove out the tech planned for Martian use??

Its too bad because it does not look like we are returning to the moon anytime soon with the Obama budget.

It is a shame. I would have loved to see this in my lifetime and that dream is fading away little by little.

--GTO--

maybe turn an earthmini out of that moon... :) blue-moon!

If they could make a space station on the moon that is able to produce rocket fuel, it could drastically increase the range at which we could explore, as a large amount of fuel is used just to get out of our own atmosphere. Launching from the moon would not have that burden, and as such, future vessels could contain magnitudes more fuel than current endeavors.

I'm somehow thinking that getting our economy back on track, at least the tiniest bit, is more important than going to mars. We'll get there eventually. We already have/are working on the technology. Let's chill out on Earth for a while and try not to ruin it.

This is great news. Some of you readers shouldn't be lamenting on the NASA cut backs. This was an Indian space craft. China, Russia, Brazil, Japan will all be working towards a moon base.

There are also numerous private enterprises that are in the final stages of competing for the Lunar X-price.

Show your support for some of these companies, learn the technologies required to make it happen, donate if you can. It's also one heck of a reason to learn a new language!

NASA has provided the path, it's up to individuals and the private sector to turn that path into a highway, a space highway.

As much as I would like to see global cooperation on the space front (and thus improving human-kinds likely hood of surviving the future), we are not quite there.
We need to continue leading the pack (or get back to it).
Besides, the way things are going, the first company/country to build a moonbase will figure out some way to patent/trademark/copyright the process.

As for getting the economy back on track before space exploration...why cant there be a compromise of both?
Why must everyone assume its only 1 or the other?
Funding for space exploration would create jobs & new tech that can be used in other fields and thus providing more growth.
Economic stability is based on growth (of companies, not the govt).

One thing that strikes me odd though...
If they were able to gather this much info about water on the moon using a satellite...why exactly did they have to bomb it for less reliable data?

@CDales1004

Because someone thought it'd be a cool idea. Like creating an airplane to do a one hour flight around Mars.

@chieffranky
Aside from scientific endeavors that shouldn't be pursued, why bother going to space when we have more pressing needs here on Earth. We'll get to space when humanity is united and there is world piece (never gonna happen). Let's just chill out and sit at home in mommy and daddy's house without getting out into the world and standing on our own.

I'm sick of individuals who see to it certain scientific endeavors are achieved for illegitimate reasons, and I can't stand people who are afraid of change (the progressive kind; not that crap they call progress now). Here's a news flash: The problems on this one planet (let alone the U.S.) will not go away, ever! With a change in time there will be a change in problems. Such is life; problems and solutions recycled.

Staving off progress for the sorry excuse that "There are too many problems here," should not be an excuse to keep us from stepping out into the final frontier and expanding our ability to flourish and survive as a race.

There was a time in primitive society when the mention of valuable raw materials and/or resources in the most remote areas of this planet would send prospectors and explorers rushing towards the unknown (for it's time) to face whatever danger to obtain what they could of them. We've already been to the moon. We have the technology and infrastructure to get there now, and all the sudden we want to say "It's too far; it's too dangerous; we have too many problems here; what's the point."

Existence of water in great abundance on the moon would improve our lives in general (whether they be hear on Earth or some terrestrial world in this solar system) by providing yet another abundant resource we could exploit to economically improve our lives through resource surplus. We could use surplus to support the increasing population of humans on Earth which is already pushing our planet to the edge.

Cosmological colonization is a must for the future of the human race, and we need to work on it now. If we don't, the only way for us to maintain our ways of life without expansion will be population control. It's no mystery human reproduction spreads quicker than many viruses, and colonization would suit our continued existence. If we don't find another "host" with resources for us to exploit, we will use up this planet and we will all eventually die here.

"Welcome! to the Federation Starship SS Buttcrack!!!"

"For future research, the implications of vast deposits of surface water ice on the moon are vast." I found this article to be vastly interesting. I hope to vast to the moon one day. Vast vast vast, vasting vast vasted.

Welcome to the new dark-ages. Welcome it, let it flow through your minds rewiring your brain.

@CDales1004
I think they needed direct confirmation that water exists so they could use the results of the test to compare that crater to the makeup of similar craters and theorize from there.

Why not use remote robot armies to do most of the grunt work required for building a moon base. Saves money and provides jobs that even the everyday video gamer can get used to (Although 2 seconds of lag might be irritating).

@pheonix1012...
maybe so, but a 1 hour flight around mars is hardly destructive, where a bomb is.
I am not necessarily opposed to doing it per se, but something like that should be a last resort.
Bombing an area for scientific research just seems to be like shooting yourself in the foot. Great that you learned about pain and the effect of the explosive, but now you lost so much more due to the result (mobility, future research, etc).

@Meshca...
They have been finding water signatures on other planets/moons for years without bombs. They didnt need it in this case either.

And no..I am not a pacifist or any thing. I am just trying to be practical. Destructive research usually limits (or removes) further ability to learn more about the item/area/whatever and getting only 1 chance to study something is hardly scientific.
Good discussions though.

I agree Cdales1004, I don't like destructive research, but I haven't vested that much time in researching what for or why they did that mission to maybe disagree.

Ice on the moon. Why doesn't it sublimate away? Somehow ice comets and ice on the moon manages to exist. Doesn't partial pressures mean anything anymore? Why don't we see comet tails of water vapor emanating from the moon?

Soon we'll have "Moon Water" in bottles to sell :)
"Heeeeeeeeey people, one "moon water" for just 50 U.S.dollars!!!

LOL

Hum, now I just drink moon's water -.-

Got to be cheaper to send water into space from the moon (less gravity and no atmosphere).

I find it hard to believe that they are just now finding water on the moon. I mean how many times have astronauts been to the moon, collecting tons of samples. How can you not notice water ice in the suface?

They make it seem like water is just now showing up everywhere.

if theres water on the moon shouldn't i be able to see the water by looking at google moon?