NASA Bombs the Moon and Finds Water
Water, ahoy!
At the beginning of October, NASA crashed an empty rocket into a 13-foot-deep crater at the moon's south pole. The LCROSS spacecraft analyzed the resulting cloud of moon dust for water and ice. Once its analytical duties were fulfilled, LCROSS was also crashed into the moon.
Everything went off without a hitch. The moon bombing itself was actually pretty uneventful with viewers around the globe not seeing much of anything. However, the mission was a success and NASA did manage to create a big enough plume of smoke for LCROSS to analyze. This past weekend, the results came in: yes folks, there is water on the moon and last month's mission yielded nearly 25 gallons of it.
"We are ecstatic," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water."
This is, without a doubt, exciting news. That said, not everyone is as pumped about the discovery as NASA is. The Guardian cites Robert Park, a physicist at the University of Maryland and prominent skeptic of manned space flight, as saying the discovery of the water means "practically nothing" to future hopes of a base or colony on the lunar surface.
"They've haven't found a big reservoir of it," said Parks, according to The Guardian, adding that the water is of no value at all. "I suspect this is just water clinging to the soil particles. It's of almost no value at all. The amount of machinery you'd have to move up there to try to recover it – you'd have to do a lot before you could pay for the cost of that."
What do you think of the discovery? Let us know in the comments below!
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A bit late on this article guys.
Still, I think it's a step in the right direction and future more invasive testing looks promising.
On another note: Well known skeptic disagress. More at eleven.
I'm thirsty. I'm going to get a drink....on the Moon.
Amazing, though I agree with the skeptic.
The percentage water/dust will probably be so low, that it's nearly a fulltime job digging for water, while here (on earth) it comes for free.
I'm sure a moonbase is better than a space station, but still nothing comes close to mother earth!
Next up for NASA: Bomb, er, huh "crash" a rocket into the moon in search of oil.
Soon followed by Iran, Russia, UK, Canada everyone else.
It's the beginning of building a colony on the moon for when world ends on Dec 21, 2012
It's the beginning of building a colony on the moon for when the world ends on Dec 21, 2012
Manned space missions with 20-21st century technology are a waste of resources and serve little to anything but national pride. I'd rather have those billions fund education, housing, and health care. But, hey... the destitute should be proud, as Americans, to know we're going back to the Moon. I bet the view looks great from a cardboard box.
It's the beginning of building a colony on the moon for when world ends on Dec 21, 2012
That myth is actually for Dec 12th 2012 (12/12/12)
I think the more we know about the universe, the more we have to gain from it, and the less we have to lose. Considering future events and in the case of a disaster.
Education, healthcare, and housing will only perpetuate overpopulation thejerk. Then what will you do when there's no spaceflight or colonies?
Now this means we can fully sustain a station on the moon indefinately. We have helium 3 for fuel and water, plenty of sun shine for plant life (inside of course). Good first step. Now they only have to figure out a space elevator to move the equipment to space more efficiently.
EAT PEOPLE RARRRR
They said in scifi-show why we must go to space. "Our sun will eventually run out of fuel, it may take a while, but one day it will blow up" I hope that in that day, we are not still baggering if it would be usefull to try some space travelling...
But yeah it's not our problem, it is our childrens, childrens in many generations. Why think about them when we can have it all just now...
Waste of money. NASA needs to be disbanded and use the money for something else.
That myth is actually for Dec 12th 2012 (12/12/12)
No, he was right. Mayan calendar ends on Dec 21st 2012. Google it.
Anyway, Mr. Park does have a point. Sure, knowing about a bunch of condensation on the moon is cool, but really doesn't help us in any way. It's like morning dew on dirt - you can't exactly go out and fill a glass of water.
They found water and no cheese? pointless.
Like tester, I believe the main purpose behind all of this is not to prove that we can have a colony on the moon, or live there, but to establish a place to mine Helium 3. Finding water on the moon has made that a much greater possibility. With Helium 3, nuclear energy can be used many times more efficiently, and those who thejerk wants to give housing, food and healthcare to will have a much brighter future to live for.
http://www.wired.com/science/space/news/2006/12/72276
We're talking about replacing fossil fuels here. Who doesn't want that?
I find the use of the money that goes to NASA more important than giving money away to lazy people who don't want to work, keep delinquent kids in school who don’t want to learn, pouring billions to banks and investment firms that have corrupt business practices and screw the same taxpayers that bailed them out.... yeah let’s keep doing that and see where it gets us...
No, he was right. Mayan calendar ends on Dec 21st 2012. Google it.
The 13th b'ak'tun ends. The world doesn't. After that date the calendar starts a new b'ak'tun (144,000 day) cycle in the long-count. Completely such a cycle was supposed to be a celebration and had no protends of doom attached to it until some New Age movements decided they could cash in on it and glued a bunch of bullshit "prophecy" to the date. Mayans didn't think time was going to run out anytime soon. When you think about it the whole idea is as absurd as someone fearing the end of the current month and thinking that the world will end when the current of their calendar page does.
It's not for drinking, it can be harvested and split into rocket fuel. You could even automate the whole process of extracting the ice from the dust, since water has such a low vaporization point compared to rock dust.
No, he was right. Mayan calendar ends on Dec 21st 2012. Google it.Anyway, Mr. Park does have a point. Sure, knowing about a bunch of condensation on the moon is cool, but really doesn't help us in any way. It's like morning dew on dirt - you can't exactly go out and fill a glass of water.
My calendar ends on Dec 31. 2009. OH NOES! THE WORLD IS GOING END IN 45 DAYS!!!
I think it's fascinating. A molecule of water is a molecule of water; whether in a vast ocean or mildly dampening a plot of dust. Water = possibilities. It may help us learn where Earth's water came from since the moon is virtually unchanged since the debris that formed it were ejected from our own planet billions of years ago when earth collided with a Mars-sized body. The Moon makes a lot of sense in terms of the further exploration of space. It would be easier to take off from there. Start up costs would be huge but in the centuries to follow the benefits would be great. Earth is finite space is virtually infinite. Our future depends on our ability to find a new hospitable planet and have the technology to get there. Wouldn't we be better off trying at least?
Yes, I agree that NASA should be disbanded and the money be used for more important and practical things like bribing the artistic community to support political agendas, allowing the lazy and irresponsible to continue being lazy and irresponsible, rewarding failures with more cash to waste, and wasting money because it has to be spent so next year's budget won't get reduced.
Didn't Dr. Evil already build a moon base?
A more serious note for all of you zero-growth population idiots...
I have 3 kids now and will most likely have more. If anybody creates some kind of kid-limit law like in China, just come try and take one of my kids and see what happens. Same thing that happens if you try and take a bear cub or a baby pig.
I'm gonna keep having kids because I love-em. I'm not overpopulating, I'm balancing the percentage of good, decent people to lazy and evil people. The evil (terrorists, dictators, etc.) will eventually kill each other off. There has to be somebody left.
OK. let the hateful comments commence
"That myth is actually for Dec 12th 2012 (12/12/12)"
No, the date is 12/21/2012. Research before you look foolish. I agree with your point about the universe tho.
Im dissapointed actually that they found water. I see no good coming out of this. If ppl were capable of taking advantage of something without ruining it they would take care of the water here on earth for starters. Only thing I can think of is ending up ruining the moon. Safest bet.
Billion dollar rocket for an exchange of 25 gallons of water. I think I use more than that amount for showers within this week alone. This is why our space program is being cut, idiots.
Waste of money. NASA needs to be disbanded and use the money for something else.
I agree, we need the National Blowing Stuff Up Association.
So how many millions (hopefully not billions) did it cost to crash this empty rocket and spacecraft into the moon just to analyze poofs of dust/water? This is just as bad as the few million dollar earmark to find out "why pigs smell".
NASA didn't "bomb" the moon. This site is ostensibly frequented by geeks - show us some respect and keep the tabloid headlines at the checkout stand.
I disagree. My Far Side off the wall calendar ends on 12/31. Gary Larson obviously knows that worlds going to end!
It's nice, it's nice... so when are we getting flying cars? or intergalactic spaceship?
It's nice, it's nice... so when are we getting flying cars? or intergalactic spaceship?
I'll be honest, most people have a hard enough time driving a normal car, do you want elderly and pre-teens driving flying cars?