NASA Finally Goes Splashing on the Moon!

25 gallons of water might sound rather mundane under normal circumstances, but on the moon? Now that's some news. After confirmation of the presence of water molecules on the moon on 24th September, by India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar mission, discovery of almost 25 gallons of water on the moon has been confirmed by NASA, today. The mission which involved two strikes at the moon's permanently shadowed area, proved a long-standing belief among scientists that the umbrageous polar craters could hold substantial amounts of water.

Based on the initial data supplied by Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), an empty rocket hull was crashed into the shadowy Cabeus Crater of the moon. Unlike the expected 6 mile long mushroom, the crash only created a mile-long splash of debris. The entire episode was recorded and broadcast back to Earth by a spacecraft tailing the former. However, the second ship smashed at the same spot just after 4 minutes of the first crash.

According to the head of this $79 million mission, Anthony Colaprete, this could be the first step towards further exploration and subsequent understanding of the moon. NASA also believes that this deposition of water could help in lifting the lid from the mystery of how the Universe originated and evolved along with unlocking several other mysteries of our Solar System.

Believed to be deposited by solar winds, comets and giant molecular clouds, the moon itself could also be a source of this water. Chief lunar scientist of the NASA headquarters, Washington, Michael Wargo opines that, "In addition, water and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration."