Look out Man, There's Water on the Moon

Water, water, everywhere, or at least 24 gallons have been found on the moon, according to NASA on Friday. Thus begins a new chapter in space exploration that some are hoping will allow for the development of a lunar space station.

The discovery announcement came in the afternoon by lead scientist Anthony Colaprete based on the preliminary data collected during the intentional crash of the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) October 9 into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus crater near the moon's South Pole.

Colaprete explained how after the satellite struck, a rocket flew through the debris cloud, measuring the amount of water while the team concentrated on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the best information about the presence of water. A spectrometer helps identify the composition of materials by examining light they emit or absorb.

"The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon," the space agency said in a written statement.

Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, puts the discovery into greater perspective hoping to unlock the mysteries of the solar system.

Wargo cites several options for where the water came from including solar winds, comets, giant molecular clouds, the earth or even the moon itself through some kind of internal activity.

"If the water that was formed or deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data," NASA said in its statement."In addition, water and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration."