Lunar Resource Riches

Scientists using data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have put together a map of the lunar surface that shows the Moon has rich titanium ores along with large deposits of ilmenite, a rock type made of titanium, iron, and oxygen. The findings are good on two fronts. First, such detailed knowledge of the composition of the surface gives scientists insights into the interior structure of the Moon. Second, rich ores of valuable metals could aid manned exploration of the surface as well as provide the basis of an early lunar economy.

Far from being the dead, incredibly dry world of Apollo, we now know the Moon has substantial stores of water ice. It also has ores of titanium and iron, large amounts of ilmenite, and deposits of uranium-- though perhaps not as much uranium as early reports suggested. The Moon is likely a dead world, but with all it offers, it might not be a lifeless world for much longer.