Posted on 09/19/2009 9:27:55 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
Shadow icebergs of the lunar antarctic
????
NASA says that its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) probe in orbit around the Moon has detected neutron signatures indicating possible frozen water deposits hidden in craters at the lunar south pole.
Tough country for ice mining.
One of the LRO's main missions is to find water on the Moon, which would make it far less expensive and difficult to establish manned bases there. The deep crater bottoms of the lunar antarctic are considered to be a particularly promising place to look, as they are permanently in shadow - never receiving any sunlight which could evaporate ice deposits. It's also impossible to peer into the craters with Earth-based telescopes as their walls hide the bottoms from view, which is one reason why the LRO has been sent out.
According to a NASA statement released yesterday:
First results from LRO's Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector, or LEND, indicate that permanently shadowed and nearby regions may harbor water and hydrogen. Additional observations will be needed to confirm this. LEND relies on a decrease in neutron radiation from the lunar surface to indicate the presence of water or hydrogen.
"If these deposits are present, an analysis of them will help us understand the interaction of the moon with the rest of the solar system," said Richard Vondrak, LRO boffin at NASA's Goddard spaceflight centre in Maryland.
The space agency goes on to add:
According to the first measurements from the Diviner instrument [on the LRO] large areas in the permanently shadowed craters are about minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit (33 Kelvin), more than cold enough to store water ice or hydrogen for billions of years.
(Excerpt) Read more at theregister.co.uk ...
I ignored the “crusty”; it’s the dark bottoms I like :)
Best.
Sick.
Headline.
Ever.
EUUUUUW Gross
Hillary!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us8xLsQ1MIE"
VERY interesting videos, but I am a bit skeptical. NASA confirmed the three taikonaut launches. I don't recall if there was any specific corroboration of the space walk, but I would think NASA would be in a position to know.
They all know the truth, there is simply no reason to offend the Chinese.
Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) probe in orbit around the Moon has detected neutron signatures indicating possible frozen water deposits hidden in craters at the lunar south pole.Thanks Ernest_at_the_Beach.
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