NASA: Significantly more water on the Moon than expected

Posted on Friday, November 13 2009 @ 21:14 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck

NASA revealed details about the data it obtained from the LCROSS mission that slammed two probes into a polar region of the Moon to detect how much water there is on the Moon. Scientists estimate the experiment was a major success, they estimate the impact plume contained about 100 liter of water.

The total quantity of H2O spied by the instruments was more than 100kg. It came out of a 20m-30m wide hole dug up by the impacting Centaur rocket.

The LCROSS scientists stressed that the results presented on Friday were preliminary findings only, and further analysis could raise the final assessment of the amount of water in Cabeus.

Peter Schultz, from Brown University and a co-investigator on the LCROSS mission, said: "What's really exciting is we've only hit one spot. It's kind of like when you're drilling for oil. Once you find it in one place, there's a greater chance you'll find more nearby."

Source: BBC News

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Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.

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