Stream of Evidence from 3 Spacecraft Indicates That the Moon Has Water

A theory has been fomed that the moon's polar craters hold pockets of water ice. Before the experiment was performed, new studies showed that water exists as molecules clinging to the surface of the moon in very low concentrations. The sudies also showed that there may also be a water cycle in which the molecule is broken down and reformulated every two weeks (Earth time). Different spacecrafts have found small appearances of water, hydroxyl molecules or both. This makes sense since they have similar spectroscopic signatures (wavelengths of each dwell nearby in the electromagnetic spectrum). In 2010, the Deep Impact probe showed strong evidence that water appears to hug the moon reaching different depths. However, the abundance of water still appears to be very low.

This article was an example of hypothesis- based science because a theory was formed and then scientists began to collect information through experiments.

The discovery of water on the moon is important for humans because it's important to be aware what is occurring in our surroundings including space. For there to be pockets of water in the moon means there may be forms of life.

Author: John Matson
Title: Stream of Evidence from 3 Spacecraft Indicates That the Moon Has Water
Journal: Scientific American
Date Published: September 23, 2009 /14