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| 'Large amounts' of water on Moon | 'Large amounts' of water on Moon |
| (21 minutes later) | |
| Nasa's experiment last month to find water on the Moon was a major success, agency scientists have announced. | Nasa's experiment last month to find water on the Moon was a major success, agency scientists have announced. |
| The agency smashed a rocket and probe into a large crater at the lunar south pole, hoping to kick up ice. | The agency smashed a rocket and probe into a large crater at the lunar south pole, hoping to kick up ice. |
| Scientists who have studied the data now say instruments trained on the impact plume saw copious quantities of water vapour. | Scientists who have studied the data now say instruments trained on the impact plume saw copious quantities of water vapour. |
| One researcher described this as the equivalent of "a dozen two-gallon buckets" of water. | |
| The 1.6km-high plume of debris was kicked up by the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) last month when it crashed into a crater near the Moon's south pole. | |
| "We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbour and, by extension, the Solar System," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at Nasa's headquarters in Washington DC. | |
| "The moon harbours many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding." | |
| The identification of water-ice in the impact plume is important for purely scientific reasons, but also because a supply of water on the Moon would be a vital resource for future human exploration. |