Our Moon Coughs Up a Secret
By Pat Racimora on November 16, 2009 at 8:00 AM in Current Affairs
* Bumped Up *
Pretty exciting news, especially for us space buffs.
Scientist are sure that they have discovered water on the moon, according to a New York Times article today.
There is water on the Moon, scientists stated unequivocally on Friday, and considerable amounts of it.
“Indeed yes, we found water,” Anthony Colaprete, the principal investigator for NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and sensing Satellite, said in a news conference.The confirmation of scientists’ suspicions is welcome news both to future explorers who might set up home on the lunar surface and to scientists who hope that the water, in the form of ice accumulated over billions of years, could hold a record of the solar system’s history.
The satellite, known as Lcross (pronounced L-cross), slammed into a crater near the Moon’s south pole a month ago. The impact carved out a hole 60- to 100-feet wide and kicked up at least 24 gallons of water.
Fascinating! Oxygen and Hydrogen, and what else maybe? The answers are out there. But when I stare up at the night sky, I wonder if we humans are intelligent enough to figure them out. So I mostly enjoy the awe of it all.
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I thought of this today when I read about NASA finding H2O on the lunar surface: Maybe NASA needs to launch probes to see if they can find any brains in our politicians?
HaHA - I love that! Nah, if they would do a politician probe, they may find black holes.
I find it fascinating about the discoveries on the moon, my only concern is, will mankind screw nature up with all of its probing and manmade manifistations? We have China seeding clouds to make snow that here in Colorado, a few days later, we have wierd weather, the Europeans want to shoot down astroids in space,etc. There’s consequences to messing around wtih mother nature.
Help ………. my comment got nabbed by the spam filter.
Never mind water on the moon. What about the hot air in Washington.
He3 (Helium 3) rare on Earth and abundant on the Moon and perhaps the primary reason we are returning to the Moon: CASH.
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/helium3_000630.html
Excerpt:
Wow Galt, I guess I am not so observant, or was that in spam control for a while? Anyway, we were thinking the exact thing.
Yes we were. Its perfect for the energy whores: when they run out of fossil fuels or it no longer is feasible to use them they can continue to control our lives and charge us a hefty price for fusion power. This at least is I presume their plan. They love to drill and mine for shit and will move their operation to the Moon. Nice of us taxpayers to help fund the beginning stages of this operation?
You got something against railroads?
Big new technologies always get a boost from our system.
Interstates were nominally a military program.
Computer chips - that came out of rocketry. Which started as a government program.
And can I mention the US Navy’s funding of the Polywell Fusion Reactor experiments?
We Will Know In Two Years
I am not against all progress via government investment in basic science. But I am against switching from one mined resource (fossil fuels) for another (Helium 3 on the Moon) when we have abundant sunshine to convert to energy that doesn’t have to be mined. My point was, it could be the energy companies are seeking something else to mine so they can continue to pick our pockets for another 100 years or more.
I like the collectors that work in the dark. They collect dark energy. That way we can have solar energy 24/7. In the day time we collect the energy from sunshine and at night we collect it from the dark. And both sunshine and darkness are ample for our needs.
Burt if that doesn’t work out we can extract Deuterium from the oceans.
Orbiting solar collectors can transmit power down to earth.
And, of course, we will (within days) have bottled “Moon Water” and other spins.
The Chinese plan to have a permanent moon base by 2020, so I imagine we’ll be able to buy our moon water from Wal-Mart. There’s really no need for a US space program…
“Any Universe simple enough to be understood is too simple to produce a mind able to understand it.” George B. Dyson
Sometimes accredited to John Barrow, known as Barrow’s Uncertainty Principle.
I am not certain that I don’t understand Washington.
Ha! I love it West Virginia
How does Barrow’s uncertainty principle equate to Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle and those Heisenberg compensators in the transporter technology of Star Trek?
I dunno. But I am certain that quantum mechanics is not discussed over the “boy’s” basketball games at the What House, even as they track the precision of a jump shot that actually was beamed up and then shot back down by Scotty. No intelligent life here. We should just move on about our uncertainty. All this is making me thirsty. Anyone going on a moon run tonight?
Wow, Pat - this is cool! Thanks so much for this. What imaginings this unleashes as we ponder the moon (and stars). Amazing…
He3, or Helium 3, which is probably the real reason for the renewed interest in the moon. Cold fusion or maybe the next great super weapon? or both.
I love science, too. I think our hope for a better future will come from science. I can remember during the sixties when people were terribly afraid science–especially computer-type systems and the production of new drugs–would negatively affect us and turn society into a regimented, uncaring system. Think Brave New World. I think the dangers of science are everywhere, but I also believe in humankind’s nature and feel confident that humans will always find ways to use science far more for good than for evil.
Now, on a different note. I have always been considered weird because–despite my love of science and logic–I also love the study of astrology and other esoteric systems.
I’m sure that the astrologers are going to take this as inevitable news. In astrology, cancer is the sign whose “planet” is the moon and whose element is water. We’re not “in” cancer, so to speak, at this moment. But the joining of that “planet” with its affect on the waters of earth and it’s element being water somehow seems fitting.
cute too Pat.
What a GREAT drawing/cartoon! Pat, you are just the best artist. I love your work. And, yes, it’s awesome. And, that’s coming from someone who doesn’t normally get that excited about space.
You drew me in with your artwork. Fantastic.
What a special compliment Mountainaires! Thanks!
This story is a humdinger — and so is your incomparable artwork, Pat!
Thank you kindly, Mandeley!
I love the cartoon, as well as what science can do when given money, encouragement, and a clear goal or direction.
As to the cartoon, I see it as saying come and visit me as I have much to offer you. And when we do go there and establish ourselves, then there may truly be a man on the moon. For me that is saying a great deal. It says man is meant to exist and grow. It says there is hope for mankind and people are made to learn, grow, and expand. And it would say that life is not about our personal needs or the same old thing day after day, but instead that life is exciting and is waiting to be discovered.
As to science, we get so caught up in surviving and meeting our day to day needs that we forget that in order to survive we have to invest in the future. It is like being hungry and you have some corn seeds so now what do you do? Do you eat the seeds and satisfy yourself for the moment and feel good, or are you able to see the bigger picture and have hope in the future? If you eat the seeds, in the moment you may feel satisfied, but then what? What does it say about you and what does it say about your ability to have faith in the future or even God? If on the other hand you choose to go hungry for a little longer and just get by the best you can without eating the seeds, but planting and nurturing the seeds, then you have said a great deal about yourself and humanity.
The moon exploration and the other scientific explorations are our hope for a better future that can meet the challenges of its time.
Rich
How soon until we can establish a colony? For the honor of being the first moon colonists, I nominate the entire US congress, presidential administration, and federal reserve. Don’t come back too soon, guys.
I would support a one-way trip for Congres, the current WH, etc.
You forgot the media lapdogs, koolaid drinkers and loons from the far right.
Now it makes sense why they didn’t see all the dust they had expected. because it was all wet.
How long before President Obama sells the moon to the Russians? Oh, the humanity of it all…
Pat, nice illustration. Technically NASA gave the Moon an enema of sorts: it probably would have been in bad taste to have the personified Moon shooting a jet of water out its ass, but that’s where the water was detected, coming from deep within a crater on the Moon’s south pole.
Pat, I’m a space buff also, and was very excited about this discovery. We all thought the moon was totally arid. Water on the moon? How much? How did it get there? And then when I think about Jupiter’s moon Europa, which has a huge ocean underneath a crust of ice with who knows what swimming around in it, I feel like a teenager reading science fiction novels again . . .
I wonder what they’ll find on Uranus.
They really DO need to come up with a better name for that planet. It’s too often the butt of cosmic puns.
Well, how about the “moon”? When I think of the vulgarities that have been performed in that innocent celestial body’s name . . . even worse than being the butt of a cosmic pun!
Oowawa–A personal comment. I have had a hope since childhood that when I pass from this life that some part of me at least gets a chance to actualy visit all of the planets, even if briefly.
Then, as I am still kicking, National Geographic came out witrh “Journey to the Edge of the Universe.” It’s on a DVD (Blu-Ray compatible). I bought it and watched on a 65 inch plasma screen TV. WOW–my dream has come true and I didn’t have to die to fulfill it! Could even drink a nice Merlot as I was “travelling.” It is an amazing work of animation. Highly recommended.
The main thing I learned is that our solar system is both incredibly beautiful and scary-dangerous to humans.
This sounds like something I would really enjoy–I’ll look for it. Thanks for the tip, Pat!
Deep crater on south pole, shielded from sun. I presume the water is from comet impacts. Comets brought the Earth water as well.
Comets may have brought H2O to Earth, but what unspeakably evil cosmic event brought us the Obama Kool-aid?
White people guilt.
Oh, I was thinking it might have been a dumbassteriod.
LMAO!!!
Cheeto huffers and ACORN busloads also helped.
If only the Solar winds would sweep them away.
Pat wonderful art that captures my imagination.
Thanks from a Moonchild
Great article and art work! I’m no scientist but gazing at the stars and the moon on a clear night has a tremendously calming effect on me. Worries and problems seem to melt into insignificance.
I also like to speculate how we came to be here on this planet, how the solar system and the universe came into being. Was the moon inhabited by humans or human like beings at some time in the distant past? Perhaps this discovery of water will lead to not only the possibility of future colonization of the moon but we will find that others have already done the same in the past. These are truly exciting times!
I’m with you on that as well Cathy in Ks. The stuff I am fretting over all of a sudden seem so petty. The awe of it all indeed! I wish I knew from whence it all came.
Great toon, as usual.
My husband commented that if they now discover carbon dioxide on the moon, they could make seltzer! *wink*
Hey–this place looks like it is getting more people-friendly by the day. Now if they can find alcohol there to go with it we won’t have to BYOB!
Great news. Really interested that they can find water on Moon. Is the water going to be drinkable??
I think it safe to say “yes,” after the water/ice has been processed/purified/extracted. I would think it would be mixed in with rocks and dust.
Or just maybe some extraterrestrials have already set up a Club Med or timeshares, so bring your bathing trunks or bikini if you plan on visiting the crater any time soon.
Seriously, it must be 400 degrees F below zero there but with the proper technology moon outposts now become feasible and economical since the biggest cost of space travel is schlepping things from the Earth and achieving escape velocity. We don’t have to schlep water/hydrogen/oxygen from the Earth if there is water on the moon in the form of ice. Liquid water can be extracted from the ice, and then rocket fuel (hydrogen/oxygen) can be extracted from the liquid water as well as oxygen to breath. Something like that.
Thank you so much….
This is good news and very interesting…
Hey, I also heard there is a chitload of GOLD there as well.
IF we promote that enough we’ll have plenty of greedy fools trying to launch themselves there. They could send the whole DC bubble there to help promote “HOT AIR” as well!
LOL
gold on the moon is that why it,s yellow??
Good post very interesting and of course great artwork!
Thought this would interest u too Pat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81wFZavdhPU&feature=player_embedded
Amazing! I have never seen anything like it. Thanks, Just me!
Fascinating stuff, indeed, Pat!
2001 may be far behind us, but its sequel is right around the corner…
2012? That doesn’t look like it turns out so well…
Great cartoon, Pat. Maybe the 7th Apollo landing will be near the south pole where the water was found and astronauts can bring back evidence of organisms that can live in the frozen waters. Polar bears, perhaps?
moon juice
Space nut since birth. I think that’s it’s fantastic that we’ve found water on the moon and we lived in the Star Trek universe, I’d be hopping up and down with excitment at the thought of potential uses for the betterment of the people of Earth.
Unfortunately, we live in the real world where we have war, disease, poverty and above all greed. My biggest fear is that, as with Alaska, we have discovered a new untapped natural resource to be exploited, used and eventually spoiled.
The only thing saving it right now is its distance and the difficulty in tapping it. Otherwise I think that the governments and corporations of the world would be screaming “drill baby drill”. Remember, there is no indigenous people up there, so whoever gets there first can stake a legal claim for it back here).