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Water Found in Moon Rock

Discovery stuns lunar experts

By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 10, 2008 5:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – Water has been detected in moon rock brought to Earth by Apollo astronauts, reports Space.com. A team used a new super-sensitive technique to discover the water in volcanic glass beads in the rock. The stunning find, detailed in the journal Nature, is forcing scientists to rethink theories about the moon's origin 4.5 billion years ago.

Scientists have long believed that the moon formed from molten space pieces that resulted when a planet crashed into Earth. They theorized that any water would have turned to vapor and dissipated into space. "This really appears to have changed the rules of the game," said a researcher.

Earth rising above the surface of the Moon. Trace water found in volcanic moon rock is making scientists rethink much of what we know about the Moon.
Earth rising above the surface of the Moon. Trace water found in volcanic moon rock is making scientists rethink much of what we know about the Moon.   (AP Photo/NASA)
Apollo astronauts at Kennedy Space center in 1968. Moon rock brought back from Apollo missions in the Sixties and Seventies have been found to contain traces of water.
Apollo astronauts at Kennedy Space center in 1968. Moon rock brought back from Apollo missions in the Sixties and Seventies have been found to contain traces of water.   (AP Photo/NASA, FILE)
The discovery of traces of water in volcanic moon rock has forced scientists to revisit theories about the origin of Earth's closest neighbor.
The discovery of traces of water in volcanic moon rock has forced scientists to revisit theories about the origin of Earth's closest neighbor.   (AP Photo/NASA)
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