A Wetter Moon Impacts Understanding of Lunar Origin, Paul Spdis, Air & Space “A paper recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes lunar samples containing the calcium-phosphate mineral apatite. Using a sensitive technique, they detected water (in the form of its ion hydroxyl, -OH) within the crystal structure of this mineral. Moreover, these hydroxyl-bearing apatite grains are found in several different rocks from a variety […]

Research Suggests Water Content Of Moon Interior Underestimated “NASA-funded scientists estimate from recent research that the volume of water molecules locked inside minerals in the Moon’s interior could exceed the amount of water in the Great Lakes here on Earth.” New CU-Boulder Study Indicates An Ancient Ocean May have Covered One-Third of Mars “Collectively, these results support the existing theories regarding the extent and formation time of an ancient ocean […]

The Four Flavors of Lunar Water, Paul Spudis, Air & Space “New studies of lunar samples, along with results from several missions in recent years, have given us a revolutionary new picture of water on the Moon. Study of volcanic glass from the Apollo 15 landing site in 2008 demonstrated that tiny amounts of water (about 50 parts per million) are present in the interiors of these glasses, suggesting that […]

NASA Radar Finds Ice Deposits at Moon’s North Pole; Additional Evidence of Water Activity on Moon “Using data from a NASA radar that flew aboard India’s Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, scientists have detected ice deposits near the moon’s north pole. NASA’s Mini-SAR instrument, a lightweight, synthetic aperture radar, found more than 40 small craters with water ice. The craters range in size from 1 to 9 miles (2 to15 km) in diameter. […]

The Wet Side of the Moon, Opinion, NY Times “From the perspective of human space exploration, that water is the most important scientific discovery since the ’60s. We can drink it, grow food with it and breathe it — by separating the oxygen from the hydrogen through a process called electrolysis. These elements can even be used to fuel rocket engines. (Discovering water on Mars was not quite as significant […]

Today, a group of scientists sat before the world on TV and said “I don’t know”; “I am confused”; and “I laid awake at night”. In a culture where everyone expects scientists to have all the answers – especially those ‘rocket scientists’, this group was honestly and openly confused by the latest news from Mars. It was refreshing!