The Lunar Oasis

This article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/22/science/space/22moon.html?_r=1&ref=science

    On Earth, we take water for granted, but it is actually quite a rare occurrence in the inner terrestrial planets of our solar system. This wonderfully written story by Kenneth Chang rightly illustrates the preciousness of water and its importance for the progress of mankind. His first two paragraphs draw the reader in with a few clear, important and beautiful images: “The Moon, at least at the bottom of a deep, dark cold crater near its south pole, seems to be wetter than the Sahara…In lunar terms, that is an oasis, surprisingly wet for a place that had long been thought by many planetary scientists to be utterly dry.” The reader understands the significance of this lunar water finding from the very start, and he/she already has a feel for about how much water there is.

     Chang provides further details about the water in the lunar crater and its uses with clarity: “eight wheelbarrows of soil [would] melt [into] 10 to 13 gallons of water. The water, if purified, could be used for drinking, or broken apart into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel—to get home or travel to Mars.” That’s in the third paragraph. Then he moves into the words of the scientists, explaining what they know/think about the lunar crater (named Cabeus) and the water in it. The experiments and science are explained concisely and clearly, and the inverse pyramid is conserved. As Chang moves along the article, he begins to talk about the other minerals, other than water, found in the lunar soil. While significant, these minerals are nowhere near as important to humans as water, so they are rightly placed towards the end of the article. And the story ends with a scientist’s quote of hope and new horizons, such as returning to the Moon even though Obama has urged against it: “I think the poles have just opened up a flurry of new questions...I think it is a destiny that we will go there as humans. I hope it’s not just for commercialization.”