From the Wall Street Journal

Last week, NASA scientists discovered that the moon contains water, a “significant amount,” said Anthony Colaprete, who oversaw the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission. He said NASA found enough water to fill a dozen two-gallon buckets. Click here for the WSJ story.

As far as stories go, this falls both in the “neat-o!” and “potentially important” categories, writes the Journal’s Jonathan Rockoff. The discovery means lunar scientists can move on to questions about the source of the water and its distribution on the moon, which could shed light on the history of the solar system. The discovery could also make further human exploration of the moon possible.

To others, the discovery heightens the possibility that we might be able to collect valuable resources from the moon. And it’s that possibility that gets the lawyers thinking, naturally, about rights and ownership.

Click here for the full story and interview with Timothy G. Nelson, an attorney.

http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2009/11/18/theres-water-on-the-moon-but-who-owns-it/