Water on the Moon

IT'S ALIVE!

THE MOON IS ALIVE!

From the Los Angeles Times:

Declaring "this is not your father's moon," NASA scientists said today that last month's mission to punch a hole in the lunar surface found significant amounts of water in a permanently shadowed crater at the moon's south pole.

"The moon is alive," declared Anthony Colaprete, the chief scientist for the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission.

According to Colaprete and other researchers, the mission measured about 25 gallons of water in the form of vapor and ice after punching a hole about 100 feet across in the surface of the moon. While that's not enough to fill a bathtub, it could be evidence there is enough water at the poles for future astronauts to use to live off the land. And it's far more than anyone expected following the Apollo missions of the 1960s and '70s, which pronounced the moon a dead, forbidding world.

"This is painting a surprising new picture of the moon," said Greg Delory, a space scientist at UC Berkeley.

I'm glad to hear that reports of the moon's death have been greatly exaggerated, but I can't say it matters much to me.

It's nice there's water but I would have been more intrigued if the scientists had found cheese.

I love the moon.

In the great green room there was a telephone.

And a red balloon, and a picture of - the cow jumping over the moon.

And there were three little bears sitting on chairs.

And two little kittens, and a pair of mittens.

And a little toyhouse. And a young mouse.

And a comb and a brush and a bowl full of mush.

And a quiet old lady who was whispering 'hush.'

Goodnight room. Goodnight moon.

Goodnight cow jumping over the moon.

Goodnight light and the red balloon.

Goodnight bears. Goodnight chairs.

Goodnight kittens. And goodnight mittens.

Goodnight clocks. And goodnight socks.

Goodnight little house. And goodnight mouse.

Goodnight comb, and goodnight brush.

Goodnight nobody. Goodnight mush.

And goodnight to the old lady whispering 'hush.'

Goodnight stars. Goodnight air.

Goodnight noises everywhere.

Water or no water, it's the same moon to me.