NASA moon mission a success; water found, the race is on

NASA did it. They found a "significant amount" of water on the moon. The finding might secure commitment from the White House for future manned space missions.

NASA had been planning a mission to the moon in the near future, and had even considered the possiblity of building a space station there -- under the right conditions. However, NASA's future manned space missions were under threat of not being funded after a Commission had in October, nixed the idea of planting the feet of astronauts on the moon. But the confirmation by NASA of water on the moon means that the U.S.A. will definitely be reconsidering the idea of establishing a moon-based space station. The smash and grab Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCross) mission that sent sensitive equipment sailing through the debris of an explosion on the moon in October to try to determine the presence of ice cost NASA $79 million. The mission did not unfold as expected, but NASA said its equipment had sent back plenty of data. Now the data has been analyzed. A NASA update said

"The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water. Secrets the moon has been holding, for perhaps billions of years, are now being revealed to the delight of scientists and space enthusiasts alike."

Space, the new frontier, is viable once again. While the data from the moon remains to be completely analyzed, NASA said that preliminary results definitely demonstrate water is on the moon. In spite of criticism from some parts of the world for the smash and grab mission, there is excitement brewing over the confirmation of water on the moon. Michael Wargo, NASA's chief Lunar Scientist who is headquartered in Washington said

"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system. It turns out the moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding."

The data results follow on the heels of the Augustine commission's report, which examined the U.S.'s Human Space Flight at the request of the White House in the spring of 2009. During a press conference on October 22 to present the general findings of the review, Norman Augustine said

"The premier conclusion or finding of the committee is that the Human Space Flight Program that the United States is currently pursuing is one that is on an unsustainable trajectory. We say that because of a mismatch between scope of the program and the funds to support the program."

Augustine went on to say that the Committee did not think NASA's new manned space rocket, the Ares I, would be ready for use by 2017. The existing space station is scheduled to be "deorbited" in 2015, The Ares I will replace the space shuttle. NASA plans to have the Ares I in operation starting in 2015. The Augustine Commission had suggested that NASA should shelve its plans to put people back on the moon in the near future. NASA has already stated that it was looking at potentially building a base on the moon. India also announced similar intentions earlier this year after one of its probes found ice crystals on the moon. Such a base would be the source of future launches of manned missions to other parts of the galaxy, such as Mars. Earlier this year when passing space rockets detected potential water on the moon, scientists got excited. Jack Burns, Astrophysicist with the University of Colorado and Chair of NASA's Science Committee for the NASA Advisory Council said of that earlier discovery,

"I rank this as a game changer for lunar science. In my mind this is possibly the most significant discovery about the moon since the Apollo era."

The questions now are concerned with the funding of the Ares I project and the logistics of building a space station on the moon. NASA has already put the Ares 1-X prototype through a test launch in October, which NASA said was successful. The data generated by the test will be analyzed by NASA and used to enhance the design and safety of the rocket. The design is a complete departure from the Challenger series.