Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Lunar sample return versus Venus exploration

re: Lunar sample return versus Venus exploration

"The business about ice at the lunar poles is probably sales hype (like bugs on Mars). The hydrogen detected by Clementine and Lunar Prospector was probably Solar proton or hydrated rock (concrete is a hydrated rock)."

Ok, maybe it's not water, but which is it H2 or hydrated rock? If it's H2 then it might be commerically mined. And if it's hydrated rock, how and why does this form on the poles? Does anyone have any complete theories about this "hydrated rock"- is it actually rock, or is it "hydrated regolith". Maybe there is "hydrated regolith", water ice, H2, and possibly other compounds. Maybe NASA should start exploring this before every other govt on planet, beats them to it. Might be kind of embarrassing if NASA ignores possibly the most important space discovery ever.
And what about Mercury? Are the Moon and Mercury the similar as far as the polar regions?
"Amazingly, radar observations of Mercury's north pole (a region not mapped by Mariner 10) show evidence of water ice in the protected shadows of some craters"
http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/billa/tnp/mercury.html

I think it's time NASA did some exploration, see if there are actually any of those dragons on the edge of the map.

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