WKKX EDITORIAL NO. 125

(Water on Moon)

     On October 19, 2009, scientists made an extraordinary discovery that there is water on the moon.  Scientists believe that the water, which is in ice form and which accumulated over billions of years, holds clues about our solar system’s history.

     The satellite which made the discovery was LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite), and NASA’s current exploration plans call for a return of astronauts to the moon in 2020 for the first visit since 1972.

     Lunar ice, if bountiful, not only gives future settlers something to drink but could also be broken apart into oxygen and hydrogen.  Both are valuable as rocket fuel, and the oxygen would also give astronauts air to breathe.

     Space travel holds many mysteries, and we need to stay committed to space exploration, which began almost 50 years ago in the 1960s.