Water On The Moon!

There is now good, if still tentative, evidence from three separate spacecraft that water exists on the Moon. The datta suggests water in fact exists all over the Moon, though it is concentrated at the poles. Water seems to migrate across the surface, driven by the heat of the Sun, until it reaches deep craters near the poles where it is protected in constant shadow.

Oddly, rock samples brought back by Apollo astronauts showed signs of water, but scientists assumed the samples had been contaminated on Earth.

Depending on how much water is actually there and how accessible it is, this discovery could have a huge impact on humans returning to the Moon-- including on whether NASA participates in such an effort or not. Earlier this year, as reported in this blog, Japan's Kaguya lunar probe discovered lunar uranium. Now, we have confirmed lunar water. If the uranium is in distinct ore deposits, one or more of which is near a pole. siting a lunar base would seem a simple choice-- in the south pole region, where NASA has been focusing its efforts, near both water and uranium. A lunar economy could get off to a quick start.