Today: Water On The Moon, Tomorrow: Lunar Station?
November 14th, 2009 - 7:23 pm ICT by GDBy Madhuri Dey
Nov. 14, (THAINDIAN NEWS) A trip to the moon doesn’t sound such a grim prospect any more, after all, there are chances that you won’t die of thirst. Thursday brought a new discovery and opened up a whole new world for the astrophysicists: NASA’s latest “moon crash mission” discovered that there is, in fact, water on the moon, and “significant amounts” of it too. LCROSS, NASA’s latest venture, was sent in order to find conclusive evidence of the existence of water on the moon.
Scientists have suspected for long that the craters of the moon might be cold enough to sustain the presence of water, albeit in the frozen form. They have also gathered enough evidence over the decades about the presence of underground ice in the poles. The LCROSS kicked up a mile high pile of debris after it crashed on the surface. The scientists are now examining the debris and have discovered at least 25 gallons. The chief lunar scientist of NASA, Michael Wargo, said that there are various sources that might have helped in the formation of water like huge molecular clouds, solar winds and comets. He said that the moon itself might even be responsible for the presence of water due to some sort of internal activity.
NASA scientists feel that the discovery opens up a whole new chapter in the lunar studies. It renews hopes of setting up a lunar space station that would have been impossible in the otherwise hostile atmosphere of the moon. The age of the water trapped on the moon’s surface might even hold the key to understanding the secrets of the evolution of the solar system.
- There is plenty of water on the moon, NASA confirms - Nov 14, 2009
- Comets may have delivered water on Moon - Nov 21, 2009
- NASA's LCROSS confirms presence of water in lunar crater - Nov 14, 2009
- Human settlement on the moon not so far-fetched - Jul 22, 2010
- Scientists find strong evidence for presence of liquid water in comet - Apr 06, 2011
- Nasa LCROSS impact mission on moon successful - Oct 09, 2009
- Water on moon 'originated from comets' - Jan 12, 2011
- NASA bombs the moon - watch live here - Oct 09, 2009
- Signs of water on moon more widespread than expected: Scientists - Sep 18, 2009
- NASA's water-hunting "Moon bombing" mission may have hit a "dry hole" - Oct 10, 2009
- NASA set to bomb the moon today - Oct 09, 2009
- Water discovered in Apollo moon rocks - Mar 10, 2010
- Moon's surface contains silver: Scientists - Oct 22, 2010
- NASA probe searches for water on Moon's south pole - Oct 13, 2009
- NASA's LRO releases final set of data from mission's exploration phase - Mar 16, 2011
Tags: astrophysicists, comets, conclusive evidence, craters of the moon, dey, evolution of the solar system, grim prospect, hostile atmosphere, lunar studies, madhuri, molecular clouds, moon crash, nasa, nasa scientists, new chapter, new discovery, solar winds, trip to the moon, wargo, water on the moon
