» The Multiplying Mystery of Moonwater
Apparently the Moon contains an enormous amount of water — funny considering we thought that it contained none…
Moonwater. Look it up. You won’t find it. It’s not in the dictionary.
That’s because we thought, until recently, that the Moon was just about the driest place in the solar system. Then reports of moonwater started “pouring” in – starting with estimates of scant amounts on the lunar surface, then gallons in a single crater, and now 600 million metric tons distributed among 40 craters near the lunar north pole.
“We thought we understood the Moon, but we don’t,” says Paul Spudis of the Lunar and Planetary Institute. “It’s clear now that water exists up there in a variety of concentrations and geologic settings. And who’d have thought that today we’d be pondering the Moon’s hydrosphere?”
