We may be one step closer to finding a sanctuary from Earth.

The Pentagon announced the findings of Clementine, a lightweight spacecraft which was launched late 1994. According to the National Aeronautic and Space Administration and Ballistic Defense Missile Organization (on a joint project called Deep Space Program Science Experiment), ice was found on one of the Moon's craters near the south pole about the size of four football fields combined. The crater which was named the South Pole - Aitkin basin is the largest and deepest creater in our Solar System spanning about 1,500 miles in diameter and eight miles deep.

This finding might signal our first chance of colonizing our planetary neigbors, with the Moon starting off as an outpost and developing into an intergalactic space port. With a water source so near to a solar energy source, who knows, this place might even be our second haven.

The frozen deposit on the moon probably takes the form of lunar regrowth (e.g. dust, dirt, and rock particles) and ice particles. Other speculations include methane deposits. However, due to lack of expertise and recon knowledge (the frozen deposit were located on the dark side of the moon with a special signal known as S-band) many are still in doubt. That's why a new craft named Lunar Prospector will be launched on September 24, 1997. The said craft will orbit the moon for 1 to 3 years. Equipped with a Neuron Spectrometer, a device that can detect even minute traces of water ice at even a level of 0.01%

References:

• Thieman, J. NSSDC Master Catalog Display Lunar/Planetary Map. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/database/www-nmc?PROSPEC-02.html. [Accessed 01 Apr 1997.]
• Williams, D. Lunar Prospector. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/lunarprosp.html. [Accessed 01 Apr 1997.]
• Williams, D. Ice on the Moon. http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/ice/ice_moon.html. [Accessed 02 Apr 1997.]
• Anonymous. Clementine - DSPSE. http://www.nrl.navy.mil/clementine/clementine.html. [Accessed 01 Apr 1997.]

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