This one's huge: the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) just discovered the presence of water on the lunar surface. Specifically speaking, the agency's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)—which is the largest flying observatory in the world—found water on the moon's sunlit surface. NASA also announced that it has found water to be more common than previously thought in the permanently shadowed recesses of the moon.
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"We had indications that H2O—the familiar water we know—might be present on the sunlit side of the Moon," said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington in an official press release announcing the major news. "Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration."
What does this all mean for us? Not much just yet. Of course, water is a fundamental resource and, as the press release states, "a key ingredient of life as we know it." However, it is yet unclear if the discovered chemical will be easily accessible for use.
For now, NASA will continue studying the presence of water on the lunar surface as part of its Artemis program, which has vowed to also send the first woman and the next man to the moon by 2024. Things are certainly looking exciting up in space.
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