Exploring Our Soggy Satellite

When a two-ton empty rocket stage slammed into one of the moon's craters today, it raised a lot of dust. It also raised the critically important question: "How much water is there on the moon?"

Immediately following the rocket stage, flying right through the plume of debris, was a small spacecraft. That craft, along with a lunar orbiter and telescopes on Earth, are expected to collect information about the water content of the debris. If debris from inside the crater turns out to be water rich, we may find ourselves heading toward a whole new era in lunar exploration.

So far, though, we're not even sure whether we have data we need to answer the question.

Why is there a question about the answer to the question?

According to an article on ABC News: "We didn't see a big splashy plume like we wanted to see," said Michael Bicay, director of science at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research Center. Instead, infrared devices showed a hot flash -- and a crater.

It'll be a few days before scientists are able to review all the findings. Once they do, we'll have a better picture of our (potentially) soggy satellite.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng