Colonisation is now a (distant) possibility!
?This is very exciting because it is so unexpected. It tells us some fascinating science, which is that water can be found where it would not seem reasonable for it to be. That is, all over the Moon?, says Professor Roger Clay, an astrophysicist from the University of Adelaide’s School of Chemistry & Physics. He adds, ?It also now makes the Moon a much more attractive place for a space base since water is a requirement for manned bases and it is heavy to transport. It is also a potentially convenient source of fuel materials for further distant missions.?
Professor Malcolm Walter, Director of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at the University of New South Wales adds ” The Moon, until now thought to be drier than a bone, turns out to be covered in water? It probably exists as films only molecules thick on minerals in the surface sediments of the Moon, but it is widespread. How it got there is still a matter for conjecture, but it could result from interactions of protons in the solar wind with oxygen-bearing minerals on the Moon. It does not mean that there might be life on the Moon, but it might be a useful resource for future explorers.”
Dr Marc Norman, a Senior Fellow in the Research School of Earth Sciences at the Australian National University, Canberra, says ?it is important to realise that this is not liquid water like our oceans, nor ice like on the Mars polar caps. Rather this water on the Moon appears to be bound up with minerals such that it is stable in the airless and low-gravity environment of the Moon. So we won’t be able to pump it like groundwater, but will have to collect fairly large volumes of lunar soil, then extract and store the water for use. This discovery will provide a huge boost to plans for devising robotic exploration and processing systems that work in the extremes of temperature, gravity, and dust found on the Moon, and to research into the origin of volatiles on the Moon.?
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It is apparent that the People in Elected Office have other agendas than the Obvious. I guess they have their Dirty little Wars to finance so,why not chop a Sensible Ambition like establishing a base on the moon? After all, we`ve managed to overcome some pretty Horrendous Obstacles to get as far as we have in Space Exploration, why throw all that effort into the Can?
Would`nt it make more sense to launch from a point where burning off Tons of Chemical Energy would be unecessary? Granted, establishing a Moon Base would be Risky and Expensive but the benefits have the potential to be Astronomical. They are even saying that they have discovered a Dormant Volcanic Vent on the moon. Would`nt that be a Perfect Place to Establish a Base? You don`t need to Dig into the surface to find protection from Solar Flares and Extreme Temperature fluctuations. That alone could resolve some of the greatest challenges right off the bat!.Yes there are inherant Risks but, Life on Earth is a Crap Shoot anyways and so is Exploration.
It is our Legacy to be Explorers and to take Risks. Soner or later one country or another is going to build a Moon Base. That is certain. Why not use what we`ve learned? Or have we really learned anything at all?