NASA Scientists Report That They Found Water On The Moon
In very exciting science news (which we don’t get very much of around here), scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have announced that they found “significant” amounts of water on the moon! Some of you may be aware that in early October, NASA intentionally fired a satellite prob called the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) into the moon to see if any water deposits could be found. Making sure that their findings were correct, NASA waited until now to announce that they indeed did find water on the moon:
NASA said Friday it had discovered water on the moon, opening “a new chapter” that could allow for the development of a lunar space station. The discovery was announced by project scientist Anthony Colaprete at a midday news conference. “Indeed, yes, we found water,” he said. The find is based on preliminary data collected when the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, intentionally crashed October 9 into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the moon’s south pole. After the satellite struck, a rocket flew through the debris cloud, measuring the amount of water and providing a host of other data, Colaprete said. The project team concentrated on data from the satellite’s spectrometers, which provide the best information about the presence of water, Colaprete said. A spectrometer helps identify the composition of materials by examining light they emit or absorb. Although the goal of the $79 million mission was to determine whether there is water on the moon, discoveries in other areas are expected as studies progress, Colaprete and other scientists said at the briefing at NASA’s Ames Research Center at Moffett Field near San Francisco, California. “The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon,” the space agency said in a written statement shortly after the briefing began. Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, said the latest discovery also could unlock the mysteries of the solar system. He listed several options as sources for the water, including solar winds, comets, giant molecular clouds or even the moon itself through some kind of internal activity. The Earth also may have a role, Wargo said. “If the water that was formed or deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps 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,” NASA said in its statement. “In addition, water and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.”
I realize that this news isn’t gossy or necessarily pop culture-related but it’s such a significant scientific discovery that I just had to share it with all y’all. It’s so funny to think that the science we were taught in grade school can change so dramatically as new discoveries are made. I still can’t get over the fact that dinosaurs that we were taught “existed” in our youth no longer exist and new ones have been discovered. We’ve always believed that the moon was a desolate hunk of rock completely devoid of water … now we know that is not the case. I suppose it’s feasible that NASA would send astronauts back to the moon for further water study much like they did when man first walked on the moon 40 years ago back in 1969. This seems to me to be another leap for mankind … one that may one day lead to even more significant discovery on the moon. I mean … c’mon … how cool is this news?
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Tags: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
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November 13th, 2009 at 11:23 am
I thought it was awesome when I read this on CNN this morning. I mean, it is pretty cool. Hey, if any planet deserves to be blogged about it would be the Moon!!
November 13th, 2009 at 11:24 am
PS I know the moon isn’t a planet but I don’t know if there is a proper word for it so I am sorry to all who I offended with my ignorance:)!!
November 13th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Where there’s water, there’s life….
November 13th, 2009 at 11:31 am
“It’s so funny to think that the science we were taught in grade school can change so dramatically as new discoveries are made.” So true! I am still rocked by Pluto’s demotion from planet status!
November 13th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Mr. Gyllenhaal – Celestial body?
x
November 13th, 2009 at 11:35 am
This goes along the same lines of Pluto not being considered a planet any longer.
They need to stop printing textbooks and put everything in an electronic format since they rewrite history and science so often.
November 13th, 2009 at 11:45 am
@Mr. Gyllenhaal–I think the moon is classified as a natural satelite.
November 13th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Wow! Thanks for sharing. That’s amazing!
November 13th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
Sorry but the moon is a planet. Plain and simple k? At least in my head it it. Either they are planets, stars, or the sun. There are only three options!!
And I wanna see a picture of this water! I wonder if it’s clear or maybe like a fun color like purple. OH maybe it is cheese flavored!!!
November 13th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Oooooh, good point Meghan!
November 13th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
I hate to break it to you, but there were a total of 9 lunar landing missions and only one was not successful. That means there were 8 lunar missions in which landed on the moon and returned, not just the first one in 1969. Therefore, if NASA sends a mission to land and moon-walk to explore this new discovery, it will be the 10th mission, and possibly the 9th to be successful.
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunar/apollo.html
November 13th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
@Jenn — It’s all a sham!
November 13th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
It’s things like this that mak me realize how much we don’t know about our solar system. Let’s pump more money into NASA’s pockets and see what else we can discover!
November 13th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Chivonne – I’m not a rocket surgeon, but I’m pretty sure the sun is a star.
November 13th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I find it slightly humorous and slightly strange that we know more of what’s floating in space than we do of what’s in the deepest depths of our own planet’s oceans…
November 13th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
@Val 2.0- “rocket surgeon” – LOL!!!!!
November 13th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
I’ve chosen to ignore all the changes made to science in the past few years. If I learned it in the 3rd grade, it’s still true. Long live the Brontosaurus and Pluto!
Anyway, this is still a pretty cool discovery. I can’t even begin to fathom what other things we’ll learn as technology advances.
November 13th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
[...] NASA Scientists Report That They Found Water On The Moon (pinkisthenewblog.com) [...]
November 14th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Great news. Really interested that they can find water on Moon
November 14th, 2009 at 4:30 am
IT WAS AN INDIA PROBE THAT FOUND IT EARLIER THIS YEAR. GO AND LOOK. NASA WERE EMBARRASSED TO LOSE ANOTHER FIRST.
GOOGLE TOOK FUNDS FROM NASA FUNDING LOBBYISTS KEEN TO RESURRECT MOON MISSIONS TO LIE.
GOOGLE HAVE A REPUTATION OF REWRITING HISTORY.
GOOGLE ARE PROPAGANDA SCUM.
November 14th, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Pluto is still a planet. Only four percent of the IAU voted on the controversial demotion, and most are not planetary scientists. Their decision was immediately opposed in a formal petition by hundreds of professional astronomers led by Dr. Alan Stern, Principal Investigator of NASA’s New Horizons mission to Pluto. These astronomers prefer a broader planet definition that includes any non-self-luminous spheroidal body orbiting a star. Pluto is large enough to be rounded by its own gravity, and it orbits the sun; therefore, it is a planet.
November 14th, 2009 at 4:35 pm
hey trent…i’m curious…which dinosaurs are you referring too??
chivonne..the moon is not a planet…its a moon… moons revolve around planets, planets revolve around the sun.
November 15th, 2009 at 9:05 am
@robin — The brontosaurus is the one that comes to mind, it used to “exist” and no longer does.
November 15th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
1. Pluto will always be a plante to me
2. The sun is indeed, a star
3. The moon IS a satellite
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_satellite if you don’t believe