The discovery of large quantities of water on the moon will have very significant implications for human space exploration, according to Kingston University space expert Dr Chris Welch. The findings by NASA, which have been hitting the headlines today, were reportedly made after researchers examined data from three separate missions to the moon.
Dr Welch, astronautics and space systems expert at Kingston University London’s Faculty of Engineering, said the findings could transform work for astronauts. “Scientists thought they knew fairly accurately what the surface of the moon was like and these results show that they didn’t – or at least not completely,” Dr Welch said. “Finding so much more water could make living on the moon much easier in the future. Water is very heavy and to have launch it into space would difficult and expensive. If there is water on the moon – in whatever form – then we have a potential reservoir that could be used for drinking or to make into hydrogen and oxygen which could be used as rocket propellant. Also, of course, we could use the oxygen to breathe.”
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