Three different space probes have gathered evidence that the top layer of the moon's surface contains hidden stores of water.
The moon is generally thought to be a dry place, although scientists have long suspected that ice might be trapped in cold, permanently shadowed craters. A NASA mission will test that theory next month, by smashing a spent rocket part into a dark crater near the moon's south pole and creating a big debris cloud that will be searched for water.
But surprisingly, researchers have now found that there's water on the sunlit surface of the moon, where no one expected it to be.
Molecules of water as well as hydroxyl — that's just one atom of hydrogen with an oxygen atom, instead of the two hydrogen atoms normally found in water — are all over the lunar surface, in the very top layer of dust, according to new reports published online by the journal Science.
What does this mean? Well:
Check out the signals; there's water everywhere, even in areas constantly bathed in sunlight. This could be a huge boon to establishing a Moon base, as with water (or even hydroxyl ions) on the surface, we could possibly generate our own liquid water and breathable O2 gas!
That's right peeps. That moon base that sci-fi enthusiasts have written about for decades, is a distinct possibility now. That's something to get excited about.
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