[Greactbet]

Though the moon has many seas, scientists thought it was dry.

They were wrong.

In a study published today in Nature, researchers led by Brown University geologist Alberto Saal found evidence of water molecules in pebbles retrieved by NASA’s Apollo missions.

The findings point to the existence of water deep beneath the moon’s surface, transforming scientific understanding of our nearest neighbor’s formation and, perhaps, our own. There may also be a more immediately practical application.

"Is there water there? That’s important for lunar missions. People could get the water. They could use the hydrogen for energy," said Saal.

The pebbles were scattered by lunar volcanoes that erupted three billion years ago, when the moon was still a cooling hunk of magma cast into orbit by the collision of a Mars-sized asteroid with Earth.

That impact enveloped the Earth in temperatures reaching 7000 Kelvin — more than enough, it was thought, to obliterate all traces of hydrogen and oxygen.

Though NASA’s Lunar Prospector appeared to have struck ice in 1999, its findings proved inconclusive. Had they been supported, scientists predicted that any water would have come from gases emitted by meteorites striking the moon.

With so little reason to believe in native lunar water, said Saal, it took three years to secure the minimal funding necessary to take another look at the Apollo pebbles, gathered between 1969 and 1972.

But a high-powered imaging technique known as secondary ion mass spectrometry revealed a wealth of so-called volatile compounds, among them fluorine, chlorine, sulfur, carbon dioxide — and water.

Critically, telltale hydrogen molecules were concentrated at the center of samples rather than their surfaces, assuring Saal’s team that water was present in an infant moon rather than added by recent bombardment.

"That was not known," said William Feldman, a Los Alamos National Laboratory geophysicist who was not involved in the study.

If that water in fact came from the Earth, then planetary geologists can be certain that our planet contained water 4.5 billion years ago.
That would change the dynamics of models of Earth’s formations.

"Volatile elements play a fundamental role in planetary formation through their influence on melting," said Feldman. "Melting temperatures are lower, you get different kinds of volcanic flows and magma crystallization. It’s important for a lot of the processes that determine surface mineralogy."

Alternatively, water could have been added after the moon was ejected into space but before it cooled, raising new questions about the water’s origin.

"This opens up so many lines of study," said Saal.

More practically, the widespread presence of water in the moon’s interior, or atop frigid polar regions where volcanic debris may have settled, could prove a boon to future lunar colonies, who could harvest it for breathable oxygen and hydrogen fuel.

Whether that is possible depends on the water’s extent and concentration. This is not now known.

Materials collected by the Lunar Reconaissance Orbiter, which will scour the moon’s south pole later this year, and the Lunar Crater
Observation and Sensing Satellite, scheduled for launch in 2009, should provide further insight.

"Could a colony use the water? That’s like asking the final score of a football game in the first five minutes of the first quarter," said
Saal. "But at least we know there’s a game on." http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...ater-found-on/

[Lxbsvksl]

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/20...ater-found-on/

liez.

[SkatrySkith]

A most interesting read, good find Slox.

Water on the moon, I wonder if the Man in the Moon was crying...lol

[baritkello]

That last comparison made me gag.

[euylvaygdq]

GAME ON!!!!

[Tnzxovoz]

the moon landing was faked.

[bestformaldress23]

Im sure Ive heard somthing like this before. But this doesnt really give any answers to how the moon was formed, still a lot of different possibilities. If anything it makes it more unknown! Not saying that is a bad thing though

[Yfclciak]

GAME ON!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TepSteade]

the moon landing was faked.

Yes, but he was referring to the fictitious story (which is about as believable as us landing on the moon).

[lisualsethelp]

the moon landing was faked.

The fake was faked, which was also faked by the aliens who killed JFK and kidnapped elvis who is now a mutant zombie.

[Lxbsvksl]

the moon landing was faked.

liez.

[riverakathy]

the moon landing was faked.

mythbusters busted the **** outta that myth

[Lxbsvksl]

mythbusters busted the **** outta that myth

this. NatGeo did the same as well.

[JohnMitchel]

mythbusters will bust the **** outta this myth

[Lxbsvksl]

mythbusters will bust the **** outta this myth

/agrees.

[bestformaldress23]

Better article:

From: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/40471

Satellites find water on the Moon

Sep 24, 2009 2 comments
There is much more water on the Moon than previously thought, according to scientists who have analysed data gathered by three different space missions. Data from one mission show that water is retained by the Moon through chemical reactions, suggesting that water may also be present below the lunar surface. Significant amounts of water on the Moon would make it much easier to sustain human colonies.


Ever since the Apollo missions brought back chunks of the Moon, scientists have been under the impression that there is very little (if any) water on our nearest neighbour. As well as being bone dry, these Moon rocks also showed no signs of ever interacting chemically with water. Later studies of the Moon's surface yielded tantalizing hints that water could be there, but these were not conclusive.
Most of what we know about the surface of the Moon is limited to its equatorial regions. That's where the Apollo missions landed, and it's also where subsequent Russian robotic missions gathered samples. Far less is known about the polar regions, where frozen water may be lurking – particularly in shady craters.
Damp days

New data from NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft reveals that water and hydroxyl (water less one hydrogen atom) molecules are present just about everywhere on the surface of the moon. What's more, the concentration of these molecules goes up and down in a daily cycle, suggesting that they are formed during the day by chemical reactions between protons in the solar wind and moon rocks. Deep Impact used its infrared spectrometer to survey the entire surface of the moon and also found that the concentrations of water and hydroxyl were highest at the north pole.
Similar evidence for such surface water has also just been found by Roger Clark of the US Geological Survey, who has analysed data gathered in 1999 by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) aboard the Cassini mission.
According to lunar expert Ian Crawford of Birbeck College London, however, the most significant of the three findings was made by Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on board India's Chandrayaan-1 satellite, which was launched 11 months ago. M3 maps the mineral content of the surface of the Moon using spectrometers covering the infrared to the ultraviolet.
Retaining water

"The M3 result shows that there are hydrated minerals on the Moon," explained Crawford. "This shows that the water is not just frozen on the surface, it requires some interaction between rocks and water". These interactions show that the Moon is retaining water that arrives on its surface via comets, meteorites and dust as well as the solar wind.
Crawford also believes that these three latest results suggest that there is enough water on the Moon to be useful to future lunar colonies.
We will learn even more about the Moon next week, when NASA's LCROSS probe will crash into a shady polar crater – and hopefully kick up ice and other debris that will then be analysed.
The next big challenge for Moon scientists, according to Crawford, will be to combine the results from all these missions to gain a better understanding of water on the Moon. In particular, he points out that ice on the Moon should contain a historical record of exactly what comets deliver to terrestrial planets. This could help us understand how Earth acquired its watery environment, which is crucial for life on this planet.
Results from the three missions will be published in Science later today.

[JessePex]

Have you guys heard about that idea of shooting a rocket ot the moon, making a dust cloud and then collecting the dust?

Im gonna look for it...

---------- Post added September 25th, 2009 at 01:26 PM ----------

Found it

http://hubpages.com/hub/NASA-to-bomb-moon

[Lxbsvksl]

that is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. You see those holes in the moon? If it wasnt for that little ball there, the holes would be on earth.

besides. this isnt OUR moon.

[NarunapyCalry]

that is the stupidest thing ive ever heard. You see those holes in the moon? If it wasnt for that little ball there, the holes would be on earth.

besides. this isnt OUR moon.

this made me lol

[Lxbsvksl]

this made me lol

that made me lol too. Put it in ur sig. Then everyone can lul.