“Finding useful quantities of frozen water on the moon would have implications for space exploration. Not only would it provide water and oxygen for a manned moonbase, it would also give astronauts a source of hydrogen to use in rocket fuel. Extracting gases from water becomes cost-effective when the amount of ice in lunar soil rises above 1%… At the levels found, astronauts would have to process one cubic metre of lunar soil to get 100 millitres of water, or less than a fifth of a pint.” “What we found was…an oasis in an otherwise desert on the moon…”
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Water for Moonbases?
Finding frozen water in some parts of the moon has implications for space exploration including the possible supply of water and oxygen for a manned moonbase.
Monthly Issue
April 2026
In this monthly issue, we examine how our understanding of energy — and how we source and use it — is evolving.
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