Hacker News Reader

> concentrations of 100 to 412 parts per million – roughly equivalent to a 12-ounce bottle of water – trapped in a cubic meter of soil spread across the lunar surface

This is incredible. Is there speculation that there could be a resevoir of ice underneath the soil? As in, could they dig a well and attempt to melt it (somehow) for collection?

View on HN

Pure ice would require a 2,500 times increase in water proportions. That’s a big increase.

It does seem reasonable that sub soil not heated to 260 degrees every two weeks for two weeks at a time would contain a lot more water. But when Lunar Prospector was crashed into Crater Shoemaker, the plume was mostly soil never exposed to sunlight and water density was minuscule.

12 fluid ounce: ~355ml (excerpt likely meant fluid ounce). 12 ounce: ~340g

Reply on news.ycombinator.com