NASA Confirms Water on the Moon

By Ed Martinez

November 16, 2009

Data received from NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, revealed the existence of water in a lunar crater.

The discovery was made in a permanently shadowed region of the moon called Cabeus. Scientists refer to these regions as “cold traps,” because they are shadowed from sunlight.

"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and, by extension, the solar system," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA also believes that if the water was formed or deposited billions of years ago, these “cold traps” could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances,” added Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. Colaprete’s team is analyzing these clues to understand the concentration and distribution of water and other substances within the soil at the impact site.

According to officials, water and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration.