On Friday, NASA scientists confirmed the discovery of water on the moon. Using spectral analysis to determine the composition of the plume resulting from last month's LCROSS rocket collision, they found more than 100 liters of water. Steinn Sigurðsson on Dynamics of Cats calls the presence of water on the moon "amazing," but cautions that at these concentrations, it's "dry by Earth standards." Razib Khan on Gene Expression considers the implications of water on the moon: "Since humans are mostly water by weight, this is very important when assessing the practical difficulties of colonization or settlement." In other NASA news, Greg Laden reports on his blog that after idling on the precipice of a Martian dust bowl since April 23, while engineers on Earth assessed the best way to make a break for it, the long-lived Spirit rover will risk movement again tomorrow, in a bid to continue its incredibly successful mission.
Links below the fold.
- Water on the Moon on Dynamics of Cats
- The moon is not such a harsh mistress on Gene Expression
- The Big Deal about LCROSS on Starts With a Bang
- There is not much hope to free Spirit on Monday on Greg Laden's Blog