Ecstatic Nasa scientists find 'buckets' of water on the Moon

Published on Friday 13 November 2009 21:23

SCIENTISTS have discovered gallons of water on the Moon, they revealed yesterday.

Nasa scientists crashed a rocket and probe into a large crater called Cabeus at the lunar south pole last month, hoping to kick up ice.

The scientists who have been examining the data now say instruments trained on the impact plume recorded large quantities of water vapour.

One researcher described this as the equivalent of "a dozen two-gallon buckets" of water.

Scientists believe that if the water is billions of years old, it could contain information about the formation of the solar system. They also believe that if it is widespread, it could be used to sustain space travellers or broken down into fuel for space missions.

"We are ecstatic," said Dr Anthony Colaprete of Nasa's Ames Research Centre in Moffett Field, California.

A mile-high plume of debris was kicked up by the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) last month when it crashed into Cabeus.

A Centaur rocket stage crashed first, followed by a smaller probe after it had sent measurements of the first impact to Earth. It punched a separate 20-30 metre-wide depression in Cabeus.

Dr Colaprete said: "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high-angle vapour plume and the eject curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water."

The researchers used a device called a spectrograph to analyse the light coming from the plume of dust. These instruments can tell what elements are found in any material by their effects on light wavelength.

Water had already been found on the Moon, but the Nasa scientists had hoped they could find significant deposits in the permanently shadowed regions of craters, in this case, Cabeus.

Other material was also discovered within the dark crater. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances," said Dr Colaprete.

"The permanently shadowed regions of the Moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years."

"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbour and, by extension, the solar system," Nasa chief lunar scientist Michael Wargo said.

Peter Schultz, a professor of geological sciences at Brown University and a co-investigator on the LCROSS mission, said: "What's really exciting is we've only hit one spot.

"It's kind of like when you're drilling for oil. Once you find it one place, there's a greater chance you'll find more nearby."

Astronomers attempting to watch the experiment in action would have been stymied by the geography of the Moon.

Dr Colaprete said that while a large debris plume rose at least one or two kilometres in altitude, it stayed just below the crater rim, which may have prevented astronomers from observing it from Earth.