Small amounts of water were detected on the surface of the moon at various locations. This image illustrates their distribution at high latitudes toward the poles.
Blue shows the signature of water, green shows the brightness of the surface as measured by reflected infrared radiation from the sun and red shows an iron-bearing mineral called pyroxene.
So what does this mean? Easier human colonization comes to mind. The truth is there’s more water on the driest deserts on Earth than there is water at the moon’s polar regions. But…
…there’s still the very real possibility that there could be water ice underneath the regolith on the Moon or buried deep within craters at the poles. Fairly recent (within the past million years) impact craters on the moon were found to have ejecta “rich†with water and hydroxyl, according to M cubed data, which implies recently those molecules are buried under the surface.
Moon water! The only thing PLUTO NASH found wandering the moonscape was Rosario Dawson. Considering how we feel about her, it’s tough to choose which is the better find.
