Nasa moon crash struck lots of water

Los Angeles: Suddenly, the moon looks exciting again. It has lots of water, scientists said on Friday — a thrilling discovery that sent a ripple of hope for a future astronaut outpost in a place that has always seemed barren and inhospitable.

Experts have long suspected there was water on the moon. Confirmation came from data churned up by two National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) spacecraft that intentionally slammed into a lunar crater last month.

"Indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit. We found a significant amount," said Anthony Colaprete, lead scientist for the mission, holding up a white water bucket for emphasis.

The lunar crash kicked up at least 25 gallons (95 litres) and that's only what scientists could see from the plumes of the impact, Colaprete said. Some space policy experts say that makes the moon attractive for exploration again.

Having an abundance of water would make it easier to set up a base camp for astronauts, supplying drinking water and a key ingredient for rocket fuel.

"Having definitive evidence that there is substantial water is a significant step forward in making the moon an interesting place to go," said George Washington University space policy scholar John Logsdon.

"This new and terrific result reassures us about lunar resources, but ... the challenges currently facing the human spaceflight program remain," Chris Chyba, a Princeton astrophysicist who is on the panel, said.

President George W. Bush had proposed a more than $100 billion plan to return astronauts to the moon, then go on to Mars.