Evidence from ancient volcanic deposits suggests that lunar magma contained substantial amounts of water, bolstering the idea that the moon's interior is water-rich.
Credit: Olga Prilipko Huber
A new study of satellite data finds that numerous volcanic deposits distributed across the surface of the Moon contain unusually high amounts of trapped water compared with surrounding terrains. The finding of water in these ancient deposits, which are believed to consist of glass beads formed by the explosive eruption of magma coming from the deep lunar interior, bolsters the idea that the lunar mantle is surprisingly water-rich.
Science Daily: Moon has a water-rich interior
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and also Blue Origin, has previously announced plans to return to the Moon but for commercial purposes such as tourism.
Ever since hearing of water on the Moon, Bezos has been dancing around as giddy as the first cat to discover catnip and he keeps saying over and over, "My space colony will be cooler than Elon Musk's space colony."
Elon Musk has been working determinedly on planning for a colony built by SpaceX on Mars while Jeff Bezos more-recently announced his plans were for Blue Origin to go to the Moon. One of the problems for both of them is with water since they either need to make water by freeing it from compounds containing it or they have to carry it with them. At ten pounds per gallon, carrying the water with you is just about the worst possible solution since that mandates a much larger ship to carry it and a much larger booster to launch it.
Given the latest discovery, it appears possibly feasible to drill for water on the Moon and we can send robos to do that, at least if America decides to take it seriously rather than sending Mike Pence with his circus Space Force. Rather than a Marvel Comics view of space with astronauts with ray guns, the Rockhouse view is more of astronauts on the Moon using divining rods to find the water.
Note: you're welcome on that high-tech vision and divining rods really do work, damn it.
Ed: is that science about divining rods?
Not a bit of it
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