Three Separate Spacecraft Have Detected Significant Water On the Moon

[LunaSea]

Three articles will appear in Science Magazine tomorrow - one paper each describing results on lunar observations from three spacecraft: Deep Impact aka EPOXI, Cassini, and Chandrayaan-1. Three different spacecraft - three different instruments - all saying the same thing about the presence of water and other materials on the Moon.

The EPOXI paper says that water has been "unequivocally" confirmed and that "the entire lunar surface is hydrated during at least some portions of the lunar day".

In another paper, previously unreleased 1999 flyby data from Cassini shows hydroxyl concentrations on "the sunlit face of the Moon". Water was detected in concentrations as high as "10 to 1,000 parts per million" and according to the paper "Regardless of its origin, water is found on the lunar surface in areas previously thought to have been depleted in volatiles."

The Chandrayaan-1 paper says "data suggests that the formation and retention of OH and H2O is an ongoing surficial process. OH/H2O production processes may feed polar cold traps and make the lunar regolith a candidate source of volatiles for human exploration."

It would seem that NASA has been sitting on a lot of data confirming with regard to the Moon - in some cases, for years. Meanwhile, a lot of people are trying to downplay the importance of these findings in and around NASA at the same time it would seem that the Moon has been revealed as being much more useful than had been previously released publicly. NASA's Science Mission Directorate has some explaining to do.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1351

"NASA will hold a media briefing at 2 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 24, to discuss new science data from the moon collected during national and international space missions. NASA Television and the agency's Web site will provide live coverage of the briefing from the James E. Webb Memorial Auditorium at NASA Headquarters, 300 E St. SW, in Washington"

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=29210

[Recursion]

1. Dear God! Is nowhere safe from Hydric Acid?

Call for a ban NOW!!!

EDIT: actually, I think it would properly be "hydroxyl acid", but "hydric acid" is how I usually see it. "hydroxyl acid" is funnier, though, if you know chemistry, and more accurate.

[BadgerKid]

11. "Hydrooxic acid" is probably more consistent. n/t

[AngryAmish]

2. Bomb it dammit! Bomb the fucking moon...NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Phoonzang]

4. We'll be doing that in a few days. n/t

[AngryAmish]

8. I know, isn't that cool?

[stuball111]

6. WHAT? and destroy a potential for profit?!!!

Why as we speak, there are swimming pool manufactures and bottled water companies, and travel agents clamoring to reserve moon shots to set up resorts! Just think! Sitting by the pool on the moon, sipping cold moon-water, under your moon-brella! How anti-capitalist of you! You must be a .....SOCIALIST! OMG!:rofl: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Phoonzang]

3. So NASA has been sitting on the info, but now that

it looks like their asses are on the line, they're releasing it? Hmm...I could believe it.

[stuball111]

7. Funny...

They didn't slip on any ice when they were up there....or bring back moon ice...

[Phoonzang]

15. True, but the samples of lunar dust contained moisture that

they attributed to being exposed to Earth's atmosphere rather than the other possibility.

[Wilms]

14. Could they have worried that announcing it earlier may have jeopardized ISS funding?

An article n2doc posted talked about the ISS being built, staffed, and funded.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=228x56732

With that done, it's time to do more fund raising for WaterWorld. (Yes, WaterWorld. You read it here, first. :D :evilgrin: )

[Phoonzang]

16. I don't know what their deal is. Maybe they didn't want to be

bothered with going to the moon. Who knows.

As for WaterWorld...I present to you a picture of the terraformed Moon. :D

[Ian David]

5. Let's start a petition to name a body of Lunar water, "The Sea of Colbert." n/t

[leveymg]

9. Any spiders? Moon maidens? Gotta be life if there's water, right?

[LunaSea]

10. Bah, keep your spiders and catwomen.....

[Ptah]

12. At that concetration {"10 to 1,000 parts per million"}, what would it take to get a liter of water?

[Taitertots]

13. Well if one liter equals 1000 mL

And one cubic meter contains 1,000,000 mL.
So there would be 10-1000 mL of water and per cublic meter of moon.

[gk88850]

17. I wonder if it's drinkable