Science and Exploration

Moon Water More Abundant than Previously Believed

By Marc Boucher
Status Report
February 7, 2013
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Moon Water More Abundant than Previously Believed

NASA-funded scientists estimate that the volume of water molecules locked in minerals in the moon’s interior could exceed the volume of water in the Great Lakes here on Earth.
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory, along with scientists across the nation, determined that the water was likely present very early in the moon’s formation history as the hot magma started to cool and crystallize. The result means water is native to the moon; it’s found in its structural form, hydroxyl, a very minor component of the rocks that make up the lunar interior.

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