Moon ice opens doors

The recent discovery of ice on the moon's surface would make manned lunar exploration much easier, though colonization of the moon would only be on a small scale, University astronomy and geology professors said.

Discovered earlier this month by a NASA spacecraft, the ice accumulated over billions of years in dark areas of the moon's poles, according to The Associated Press.

The ice, probably ranging in weight from 11 million to 330 million tons, would be enough to support a colony of 1,000 people for a century, said Richard Wade, associate professor of astronomy and astrophysics. The ice could be used as a resource for scientists who explore and research the moon, he added.

- Alexander Wolszczan, professor of astronomy

Without water on the moon, scientists would have to send water to the moon via spacecraft, a procedure that would be extremely expensive, Kasting said.

Any decision to send people to the moon may still depend on other factors. Ultimately, the country's political climate will decide what happens, said Alexander Wolszczan, professor of astronomy.

"A lot of spectacular developments have been driven by politics," Wolszczan said. "Right now, the political drive is gone."

Because landing on the moon is expensive, future manned visits may be based on commercial interests, Wade said. Water on the moon may eventually be used to support a mining colony, he added.

Any use of the water would be ultimately temporary, because it does not replenish itself, Wade said.

"You're talking about accumulating a little bit of water over billions of years . . . that can be used up in a century," he said.

Wolszczan said that while lunar ice had not been confirmed until now, there was evidence of its existence from a 1994 spacecraft exploration using radar.

"It's not too surprising for us astronomers," Wolszczan said.