NASA's Lunar CRater Observing and Sensing Satellites (LCROSS) took dead aim and crashed into the moon On Oct. 9. The impact of the $80 million LCROSS satellites into the Lunar surface created an ice-filled a debris plume that NASA analyzed for water content. Since the impact NASA scientists have been working "28 hour days" to analyze the results.
Layer 8 Extra:
10 NASA space technologies that may never see the cosmos
Top 10 cool satellite projects
NASA said scientists long have speculated about the source of significant quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings actually confirm the presence of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected, NASA said.
While previous space missions have found some water in the moon's dirt, LCROSS expects to definitively answer how much water might be there. In the end the idea is that should the US or others ever try to establish a human outpost on the moon, they might be able to use the water present on the moon rather than having to transport it up there. Water or more importantly oxygen from water could be used to create rocket fuel as well, enabling future space travelers to refuel on the moon or launch other explorations from there.
Key for NASA might be that if there indeed are massive amounts of water on the moon, it could be more than enough justification into continue exploring the moon with humans - something it may or may not continue in the next 10 years.
Water also holds a key to the history of the universe, NASA stated. If the water that was formed or deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps - LCROSS crashed into a southern pole region where it was -230 Celsius) could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data.
NASA is focusing on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the most definitive information about the presence of water. NASA said it took the known near-infrared spectral signatures of water and other materials and compared them to the impact spectra the LCROSS near infrared spectrometer collected.
NASA said data from other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site and once scientist to say said "lots of other stuff came out of there." He did not elaborate on what other materials are being found and said more results would come as the experiments were verified.
Layer 8 in a box
Check out these other cool stories:
NASA offers $400,000 prize for super space glove
NASA to power Mars rover out of sand trap
Military wants lightweight fiber lasers for unmanned aircraft
Damn the torpedoes: NASA, European Space agency want to go to Mars
NASA brings chemical sensor to iPhone
Swarms of networked robots to probe the ocean
Commercial space operations seeing big cash infusion
Airborne lasers make high-speed military network zip
Air Force: US decades behind on satellite protection
15 genius algorithms that aren't boring
Cisco computer game lets you play CEO
NASA: A crazy month of changes, challenges
NASA begins to outline future with revamped advisory council