In a mission that took roughly a week in early October, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tested the moon for any signs of water in an ingenious way. By forming a crater near the southern pole and taking pictures, spectrometer readings, and other careful measurements, scientists hoped to discover the presence of water or ice on the moon.

NASA scientists decided to search at the moon’s southern pole because it is in permanent shadow. The sunlight hasn’t reached these areas for what is estimated to be billions of years. Due to the lack of atmosphere on the moon, any small elements or compounds that are vaporized will simply float out into the vacuum of space. The ice at the South Pole does not have enough energy to evaporate in these “cold traps” and would remain on the moon.

According to the NASA website, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) impacted the surface of the moon on Oct. 9, 113-days after launching on June 18. The satellite covered the 5.6 million miles from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to its final destination at the moon’s permanently shadowed South Pole.

The data was collected by LCROSS from an impact made by an upper stage rocket that traveled with the satellite. The collision with the moon’s surface created a large crater, tossing up debris and, just as scientists had hoped, ice.

The mission was a success. Centaur, the upper stage rocket attached to LCROSS, separated about 54,059 miles above the moon’s surface. LCROSS collected data and pictures from Centaur’s initial impact for four minutes before impacting the moon itself.

The event was broadcasted on television nationwide. Millions of Americans tuned in to watch history in the making. However, the launch didn’t live up to some peoples’ expectations.

“I thought it was pretty anticlimactic,” CHS science teacher Gabriel de la Paz said. “It was mostly just a big cloud of dust.”

The significance of the experiment lies in space exploration. Scientists would like to know if the moon could possibly sustain life. This would allow colonies to form easily without constant expensive transportations of basic goods such as food, water and oxygen.

In opposition to many who believe that the value of water on the moon would be great, de la Paz thinks that the efforts are unnecessary.

“The amount of energy to get stuff to the moon is probably more than the amount of energy we get from stuff from the moon,” de la Paz said.

Scientists see the moon as a stepping-stone to explore the rest of the solar system. It would serve as a practice environment for explorers to use to learn how to work safely in harsh surroundings. From the moon, possibilities seem endless.