An Age of Magic

Water discovered on the moon!

A manned Moon base could become a reality within 20 years after scientists revealed today there are large quantities of water on the surface of the Earth’s satellite. The discovery increases the chances that humans may one day live permanently on the Moon inside protective domes,  mining the rocks and dust for water to drink and power spacecrafts. The scientific discovery made by the Indian lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 is due to be announced by Nasa today.

Dr Jessica Sunshine, one of the researchers who found the water, said: ‘It’s sort of just sticking on the surface. We always think of the Moon as dead, and this is sort of a dynamic process that’s going on.’ Ten years ago, scientists found traces of water lying in the shadowy craters at the Moon’s poles.  The latest announcement comes two weeks before a Nasa probe will be smashed near the Moon’s south pole to see whether it can kick up buried ice.

The discovery, with three studies being published in the journal Science today and a Nasa briefing, could refocus interest in the moon.

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