Apod 2.3 Water Discovered in Moon Shadow

Last month, NASA sent a projectile to crash into the moon. The project was called the LCROSS mission. As part of the mission, one projectile crashed into the moon, followed by another that carried a detector. The detector's purpose was to see if there were signs of water on the moon. The impact occurred in a permanently shadowed crater on the moon's south pole. This past week, results from the chemical analysis of the dust plume showed clear evidence of water. The source of the water is unknown and is the topic of much debate. Whether from a small meteorite, a comet, or from primordial moon soil, the water is a mystery. The water is important because it could help us understand the history of the moon and could be the source of water that would allow astronauts to live on the moon for an extended period of time. NASA has plans to build a lunar colony somewhere between 2019 and 2024, so the presence of water is a big step in the fulfillment of these plans.