NASA Confirms Water On Moon
Back in October, there was quite a bit of controversy surrounding NASA’s project of crashing a LCROSS satellite into the moon to determine if there is in fact water on the moon. While it was initially believed by spectators and researchers alike that the mission was a big failure, since there was no visible lunar dust or any other substances that resulted immediately from the cash; NASA says today that it actually was a success, indicating that the moon has a substantial water supply.
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The amount of water that the LCROSS extracted with its collision with the moon was approximately 24 gallons, or more than 91 litres. In order to measure water levels they used the impact spectra LCROSS near-infrared recorded and compared it to the known near-infrared light signature of water.
Researchers hope to use this data generated from the LCROSS mission to learn more about the history of the moon and the solar system, and perhaps in the future, use moon rocks as a resource to produce rocket fuel. In addition, both oxygen and water could be extracted to use as key commodities for humans.
Although no one’s said it yet, this discovery could bring humanity one step closer to residence on the moon – but for now, they’re focusing upon how resources in the solar system could benefit our existance here on earth.
Via: National Geographic
Image Via: Flickr User ViaMoi with a Creative Commons License
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