Ice confirmed at the Moon’s poles
For the first time, scientists have found what they say is definitive evidence of water ice on the surface of the moon.
The discovery suggests that future lunar expeditions might have a readily available source of water that would make it easier “to explore and even stay on the moon,” officials at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement Tuesday about the discovery.
The ice was detected at the darkest, coldest regions of the moon’s north and south poles. It exists in sparse patches in the north and is concentrated in permanently shadowed craters in the south, where temperatures never climb above minus 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Previous research had shown the existence of water deep beneath the lunar surface. There was also tentative evidence of water ice on the surface at the lunar south pole, but no proof until now. [Continue reading…]