How do we know it's not astronaut piss ?

Meh, it would be bigger news if we found out the fool thing was full of oil...

This is worthy of five stars, but only for the pure science. There is no way there is enough water on the moon to provide all the water needed for a permanent manned base on the moon, no matter how small that base may be, no matter what the talking heads on the morning show try to tell you.

What about the moon rocks?

A most interesting and fascinating scientific discovery. . .reviews below are quite solid. . .

As soon as they discover scotch whisky in those lunar climes, I will lift up my head to take notice.

Now we can have a water brand called "Mooney."

Now on the serious side, I didn't even here about this, which you might be shocked. I do find this significant, but I wonder if we could ever use this to drink and use someday. They'd have to find an awful lot of it.

It was just a matter of time, especially with comets moving around. The first comments were the typical ones...like how it could sustain astronauts for longer stays, provide hydrogen for fuel and oxygen for life. But, man...as I commented in magellan's post, where that ice is, is the coldest known place in the Solar System...pushing -400 degrees F. It'll give those astronauts permanent testicular shrinkage. But, soon, we'll be hearing scientists talking about how this discovery will get us one step closer to understanding the origins of the Universe. Well, I've got news for them: when they bring back samples and analyse them...knowing that Man has already been there...when they melt the ice, all they're gonna find are beer can tabs, Snickers wrappers and Slurpy straws....or, perhaps, an unknown life form that will come out of hybernation, swell into a large globulus mass of scared-people-eatin' slime...



PS: I haven't seen RIA Reviewers this excited about something since Derek Jeter passed Lou Gehrig in total hits...

Definitely a great discovery, but I wouldn't get too excited about it. We found water on the Moon at the molecular level, right on the surface. There are no underground lakes or oceans. My guess is that the H20 could have easily arrived there by a meteor that had trace amounts of water, as is very common.

The Moon, lacking any type of atmosphere, will never be suitable for long term settlement. It has tons of minerals (titanium for example) that can have very useful applications here on Earth, but it will never be habitable for us.

If we are ever to stand a chance of colonising extra-solar planets we have to start small with a permanent presence on the Moon, and one day Mars. Proving the existence of water (or at least the "ingredients" required to make water, as National Geographic puts it) is such a phenomenal and significant discovery that is quite possibly the scientific discovery of the decade. Knowing that water can be harvested/produced on the moon will help NASA and other space agencies put forward an argument of why funding for space exploration must continue and may help to one day return to it's crater-ridden surface.

What is important to remember about water on the moon is that you're not going to find it in lakes like we do here as the moon isn't Earth; and by this I mean it does not have the same strength of gravity mostly due to it's lighter mass which means water droplets wouldn't form quite the same way.


"The water or hydroxyl molecules on the moon are bound to other molecules and exist in trace amounts over the entire lunar surface. "


It is this that would make harvesting the water difficult, but the findings they have made do show that it is a renewable resource and that is what is important - a lunar base would be able to harvest this water and use it as both drinking water (after going through a purification plant to remove contaminants) and to help keep vegetation / food alive that they would likely also grow on such a base.

As I commented on a previous review, it could be the evidence that is required to push forward and convince people we should have a permanent presence on the Moon... it's time to once again reach beyond Earth and to dream like the astronauts that dared to believe during the Apollo missions.


Update: Something else I just thought to mention - reading the description of this item it mentions about it making people once more think about the "giant impact" theory. What this means is that if this could actually be proven to be true then it could also prove the panspermia theory that life was seeded on Earth from something colliding with the Earth. Of course though it proving an impact does not prove exogenesis or vice-versa.

Go figure.

What's next? Are they going to discover electricity in Alabama?

Its might be sufficient enough for astronomers as NASA commented its only trace.

Water or no water, I'm only living on the moon unless *I absolutely have to*. Seems like it would be sort of cold and bleak up there.

I'm waiting for one of those promising exo planets from a nearby galaxy with rolling green hills, fast wifi, and an average temperature of 72 degrees.

Oh yeah, and I'm coldsleeping on my voyage there.

Imagine what Evian and Dasani will charge for a litre of water from the moon!

This exciting discovery challenges the origin theory for Earth's moon and may change the face of lunar exploration.