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Actually this is just a confirmation of water already previously found. It's nothing super groundbreaking but very significant nevertheless. It's also the fact

Actually this is just a confirmation of water already previously found. It's nothing super groundbreaking but very significant nevertheless. It's also the fact that the moon isn't exotic enough for the media/masses.

ericd 13y ago
Confirming a significant amount of water on the moon could mean in-space fuel manufacturing and refueling, though!
- gizmo686 13y ago
  How? Water is already a relativly low-energy compound, so I assume you are talking about using it to manufacture hydrogen molecules to use as fuel. An external source of water is completely unnecessary for this. The idea behind hydrogen as a fuel is that you can react it with oxygen to produce water, which is a lower energy molecule. You can then harness that difference in energy to do whatever. The amount of water generated is equal to the amount of water needed to generate the hydrogen (and oxygen) molecules in the first place. It is a rechargable battery.
  - ProCynic 13y ago
    I think the idea is that you can use solar or nuclear to crack it into hydrogen and oxygen for use as rocket fuel. With rockets, fuel is both energy source and reaction mass, meaning that you throw it out the back end and can't recover it. You can also use the oxygen for breathable atmosphere. Every kilogram of useful mass you can find on the moon is one less kilo you have to haul from earth.
    - rbanffy 13y ago
      You can also use it as propellant for nuclear thermal rockets. You can't lift off from Earth on one, but the Moon is an easier problem.
  - jccooper 13y ago
    Terrestrially you are correct, but space is a very different situation. There you can get plenty of energy, but volatiles are rare. H is needed for water (for people) and propellant (for rockets). The rockets in particular are open systems and must be, so need a plentiful supply. If you can find a good source of Xenon, you can use that in some applications instead, but that's probably harder than H since it doesnt form more stable materials like H2O.
  - ericd 13y ago
    Yep. We're pretty good at making engines that run on hydrogen and oxygen, but we don't have a way of getting those things in sufficient quantities in space. We do have ways of getting plenty of electricity in space, though...

ericd 13y ago

Confirming a significant amount of water on the moon could mean in-space fuel manufacturing and refueling, though!

gizmo686 13y ago
How? Water is already a relativly low-energy compound, so I assume you are talking about using it to manufacture hydrogen molecules to use as fuel. An external source of water is completely unnecessary for this. The idea behind hydrogen as a fuel is that you can react it with oxygen to produce water, which is a lower energy molecule. You can then harness that difference in energy to do whatever. The amount of water generated is equal to the amount of water needed to generate the hydrogen (and oxygen) molecules in the first place. It is a rechargable battery.
- ProCynic 13y ago
  I think the idea is that you can use solar or nuclear to crack it into hydrogen and oxygen for use as rocket fuel. With rockets, fuel is both energy source and reaction mass, meaning that you throw it out the back end and can't recover it. You can also use the oxygen for breathable atmosphere. Every kilogram of useful mass you can find on the moon is one less kilo you have to haul from earth.
  - rbanffy 13y ago
    You can also use it as propellant for nuclear thermal rockets. You can't lift off from Earth on one, but the Moon is an easier problem.
- jccooper 13y ago
  Terrestrially you are correct, but space is a very different situation. There you can get plenty of energy, but volatiles are rare. H is needed for water (for people) and propellant (for rockets). The rockets in particular are open systems and must be, so need a plentiful supply. If you can find a good source of Xenon, you can use that in some applications instead, but that's probably harder than H since it doesnt form more stable materials like H2O.
- ericd 13y ago
  Yep. We're pretty good at making engines that run on hydrogen and oxygen, but we don't have a way of getting those things in sufficient quantities in space. We do have ways of getting plenty of electricity in space, though...