Moon has considerable amount of water

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Scientists have found frozen water on the moon and significant amounts of it, NASA said Friday.

"Indeed yes, we found water," delighted NASA spokesman Anthony Colaprete said in a news conference at NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

The water was discovered by a spacecraft that intentionally slammed into a moon crater near the Moon's south pole Oct. 9. The resulting spray of debris from the crater yielded at least 24 gallons of water, NASA officials said.

"We got more than just whiff. We practically tasted it with the impact," investigating geologist Peter Schultz told The New York Times.

The confirmation of water came from analysis of slight shifts in color after the impact, showing a plume as the crater formed, NASA officials said.

Scientists for years have suspected water in the form of ice resided at the bottom of frigid craters where the sun never shines.

"The discovery opens a new chapter in our understanding of the moon," NASA said in a statement Friday.