WATER DISCOVERED ON THE MOON - "It's Really Big News"

(11/14/2009)
It barely made the news yesterday, squeezed between Washington political hubris and the "Balloon Boy's" parents court appearance.

Water has been discovered on the moon.

NASA said Friday it is "a new chapter" that could allow for the development of a lunar space station.

It's really big news.

Scientist Anthony Colaprete said, "I'm here today to tell you that indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit; we found a significant amount" - about a dozen, two-gallon bucketfuls, he said, holding up several white plastic containers.

The find comes from the recent "crash" of a satellite on the moon.

Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, said the latest discovery also could unlock the mysteries of the solar system.

"If the water that was formed or deposited is billions of years old, these polar cold traps could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data," NASA said.