Science in a Minute 031219 Researchers Spot Water Molecules Hopping on Lunar Surface

Scientists working with the LAMP or Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project, an instrument on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, say they have detected molecules of water hopping around the surface of the Moon. The H2O molecules usually attach themselves to soil or tiny rocks. But, when the Moon’s surface temperature peaks around midday the molecules are released and then hop to locations cold enough to allow them find new materials to cling to.