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Thursday, November 19, 2009

Water News - Scientists Discover, Patent, Sell 'Revolutionary' New Water-Treatment Technology at Sam Houston State University

Water News -

http://www.shsu.eduHUNTSVILLE, TX--- November 19, 2009 - Sam Houston State University has been awarded three federal patents to protect the technology and engineering associated with a "revolutionary" wastewater treatment system.

The university has applied for three additional patents and formed a company to manufacture, market and sell the systems. Its first customer is the United States Army.

The system is designed around a proprietary consortium of bacteria that have the capability to clean wastewater quickly with a high degree of efficiency and leave no toxic by-products.

The physical systems themselves that house the bacterial "cocktail" use little energy, are portable, scalable, simple to set-up, easy to operate, come on-line in record time, and can be monitored remotely, according to the lead scientist on the project.

"The science and engineering behind this process have both military and civilian applications," said SHSU lead investigator Sabin Holland.

"The technology was developed for remote applications where little infrastructure exists, examples being remote military operations, disaster relief efforts, and nation building."

Holland, a microbiologist, directs the research at Sam Houston State's Research Institute for Environmental Studies.

"We have gone from basic research into the bacteria to construction and deployment of the systems in seven years. The typical time from laboratory discovery to commercialization is 14 years," Holland said.

"The bacteria we are working with occur naturally and can be found in a common handful of dirt. We have isolated a small subset of them, each having a specific function, to engineer a biofilm that is self-regulating and highly efficient at cleaning wastewater."

Holland demonstrated the systems' effectiveness at several municipal and military sites by cleaning influent wastewater within 24 hours after set-up to discharge levels that exceed standards established by the Environmental Protection Agency for municipal wastewater.

"The typical septic system or traditional waste treatment process takes as long as 30 days and leaves as much as 40 to 50 percent sludge," he said.

"The technology is scalable," Sabin said. "We can make the units for large scale applications, or as small as a single home unit."

The research has been funded over the last three years by U.S. Department of Defense. The Army's systems will be deployed in Afghanistan and transported by standard trucks using a palletized loading system.

Sam Houston State selected a private firm, PCD Inc, of Palestine, Texas, to form a limited liability corporation company named Active Water Sciences (AWS) to manufacture, market, sell and further develop the systems. The University retains a majority interest in the corporation and has licensed the technology to AWS for three years.

"This technology is an elegant, simple, clean and green system," said Dan Davis, SHSU's associate vice president for research administration and technology commercialization. "It's revolutionary technology."

Contacts:Sabin Holland (936) 294-4234 (936) 294-4234


Investors researching global water stocks can now purchase the Water Stocks Directory individually in a PDF format for $24.95. The water stocks directory was previously only available as part of the Investorideas.com premium membership. Investorideas.com has broken down several of the stock directories and made them available to investors that are avid fans of specific sectors.
http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp

Investors following the water sector can subscribe to the news feed at http://www.investorideas.com/RSS/feeds/Water-Stocks.xml. Water companies can submit news and press releases online to be included in the new syndicated feed at
http://www1.investorideas.com/NewsUploader/Default.aspx.

The Investorideas.com Water Stocks Index - Published at www.investinwhoyouare.com
Index based on 9 water stocks from the global water stocks directory at www.Investorideas.com and www.water-stocks.com.

Investorideas.com Top 10 Investor Searches Include Natural Gas Stocks, Green Energy and Renewable Energy Stocks, Gold and Mining Stocks, Water Stocks

Investorideas.com Top 10 Investor Searches Include Natural Gas Stocks, Green Energy and Renewable Energy Stocks, Gold and Mining Stocks, Water Stocks

Investors Search for Gold Stocks as Gold Continues to Soar to New Highs

POINT ROBERTS, Wash., Delta, B.C.–November 18, 2009 - www.InvestorIdeas.com, a global investor research portal announces this week’s top ten search phrases from inbound investors.

The top 10 searches included natural gas stocks, green energy stocks, water stocks and gold and mining stocks. The Top 10 Investor Search List is featured on Investorideas.com home page and is updated each Wednesday for investors to review.

Investorideas.com has made recent changes to membership and stock directories, now making each individual directory available in a PDF. Investors can search for stocks in their favorite sectors, from natural gas, to renewable energy to water and more.

1. Natural gas stocks -Natural Gas Stocks Directory: Research Natural Gas stocks 2. Green energy stocks
3. Natural gas news 4. Renewable energy companies 5. Gold mining stocks Mining Stocks Directory – Research over 900 global mining stocks on TSX, ASX, OTC, NASDAQ and more in the new PDF
6. Renewable energy stocks Renewable Energy Stocks Directory- Research over 900 Green Stocks in the new PDF format
7. Green energy companies
8. Water stocks Water Stocks Directory- Research Water Stocks with the new directory in new PDF directory 9. Gold stocks
10. Coal stocks- Note we are currently updating our coal stocks directory- stay tuned for a more comprehensive directory.

See our complete list of stock directories by sector at Investor Ideas and research stocks in each sector.

Mining and metals investors can research gold and mining stocks with the mining stocks directory, featuring Gold Stocks, Silver Stocks, Uranium Stocks, Copper Stocks, Zinc Stocks and Precious Metals TSX, TSX Venture, OTC, NASDAQ, AMEX, NYSE, ASX, AIM and other leading Stock Exchanges.

Green Energy investors can also research stocks with the Renewable Energy Stocks Directory, one of the most comprehensive directories online. The directory has close to 900 stocks and new stocks are added each month for investors following the sector. The complete renewable energy stocks directory features stocks listed on the TSX, OTC, NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX, ASX, AIM markets and other leading exchanges. The directory includes info and links on Alternative Energy Funds, Biogas and Ethanol Stocks, Energy Efficiency Stocks, Flywheel Stocks, Fuel Cell Stocks, Geothermal Stocks, Hydrogen Production, Micro Turbine Stocks, Solar Stocks, Green Transportation, Smart Grid Stocks, Wind Power and Wind Energy Stocks and Green Infrastructure Stocks.


Investor Ideas Members can now access by login the Mining stocks directory, oil and gas stocks directory , Natural Gas Stocks Directory , Water Stocks Directory, Renewable energy stocks directory, Biotech Stocks Directory, Defense and Homeland Security Stocks Directory, Fuel cell stocks Directory, Environment Stocks Directory and the investor newsletter- The Insiders Corner, covering insider buying trends in small cap stocks. Learn more about becoming a member.

Investors are also reminded to sign up for the launch of the new free investor newsletter – the next great investor idea! Investors can sign up for the new free newsletter on the pop- up box on the home page of www.investorideas.com or the newsletter sign up page.

About InvestorIdeas.com:
InvestorIdeas.com is a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing covering multiple industry sectors including water, mining, renewable energy, energy, biotech, defense and global markets including China, India, Middle East and Australia. The website covers several sectors but has a focus on environment and water. Investorideas.com meets the needs of retail investors, public companies and entrepreneurs with unique tools and services ranging from stock directories, newsfeeds, funding directories and more.


Disclaimer: Our sites do not make recommendations. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising. www.InvestorIdeas.com/About/Disclaimer.asp

For Additional Information:

Dawn Van Zant: 800-665-0411 - dvanzant@investorideas.com

Source – Investorideas.com












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Water News - IBM Tackles Smarter Water Management in EuropeNew center to study impact of climate change, severe weather

Download image MONTPELLIER, France and ARMONK, N.Y., Nov. 19 -- In a region of France known for sunshine, agriculture and natural spring water, IBM ( IBM) has established a Center of Excellence for Water Management to use high performance computing to monitor and forecast the impact of climate change and severe weather conditions on water resources.

Based in Montpellier, France, the center is in the Languedoc Roussillon, a southern-facing region with abundant sunshine and seasonal, torrential rains causing millions of dollars worth of damages each year. More than 400 miles of levees exist to protect the 600,000 people living in potential flood zones.

"We have a unique opportunity, and unique ability, to apply our combined expertise in high performance computing, sensor networks and advanced analytics across a wide variety of water management challenges," said Sharon Nunes, vice president, Big Green Innovations, IBM. "We're modeling and simulating flash flooding scenarios, water management infrastructures, reservoir systems and more to develop new innovations for predicting, managing and sometimes even preventing events that might otherwise have a negative impact on a region's water supply."

The center's high performance computing modeling capabilities combined with resilient sensor networks will enable fast, high resolution, large scale simulations based on multiple scenarios and options. With this ability, scientists can bring together a diverse set of information incorporating weather and climate changes, flood patterns, reservoir activity and more to develop new insights and innovations for smarter water management. Initiatives at the center are expected to complement those already underway with the county council including levee management, pollution reduction and sustained economic development.

One of the first projects slated for the Center of Excellence will be a collaborative effort by IBM and the ClusterEAU, an association of research laboratories, educational organizations and enterprises, to explore projects for advanced water resources management. The ClusterEAU was formed to respond to the constantly growing needs for innovative proposals to face the issues of ensuring the concerted management of world water resources in a context of global changes and new challenges arising from human society: rapidly growing populations, energy challenges, economic and environmental issues in urban and rural development, globalisation of markets and services, emerging countries, stagnation in the poorest regions, and more.

"The new Center of Excellence will be a unique opportunity for us to establish strong collaborations with IBM and jointly promote our expertise in the field of advanced water resources management, particularly the computational aspects," said Jean-Pierre Buchoud, president, ClusterEAU.

In 2008, IBM established centers of excellence for water management in Amsterdam, where the primary focus is on flood management and levee systems, and in Dublin, where the primary focus is to monitor, manage and forecast environmental challenges such as the movement of pollutants in fresh water, marine and oceanic environments.

IBM's smarter water management offering is part of its Big Green Innovations initiative, launched in October 2006 as part of IBM's $100 million investment in 10 new businesses generated by InnovationJam.

For more information, visit http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/presskit/26906.wss

Press contact: Jenny Hunter IBM jennyh@us.ibm.com 510-919-5320


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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Global Water Issues Rising for Investors and Influencers

Global Water Issues Rising for Investors and Influencers


"When you change the availability of water, you change the prerequisites for farming – the possibility to feed this planet – and you change the possibilities for energy production, forestry and industries…”


New York, NY, November 17, 2009)– In a posting today on the Governance & Accountability Institute’s Web platform – www.gai-insightsedge.com -- readers learned in the “ESG & Sustainability Perspectives & Insights” newsletter that “Water” topics are rising fast to the top of the list of current or potential longer-term risks posed to corporations in the view of a growing number of global investors, their coalitions and the asset managers they hire.

“Expect water to be among the topics addressed at the upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (December 7-18 in Copenhagen),” the newsletter editors commented. “The UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate (presented in partnership with the Pacific Institute) recently convened the 4th Working Conference in Stockholm, attracting 100+ global water experts and leaders from the corporate, public and social sectors for discussion of critical water issues.”


“World Water Week” was the main event in Stockholm, drawing several thousand scientists and water experts from 130 countries to discuss strategies for global water management in the upcoming Copenhagen conference. Anders Berntell, head of the Stockholm International Water Institute (conference sponsor), told Associated Press: “When you change the availability of water, you change the prerequisites for farming – the possibility to feed this planet – and you change the possibilities for energy production, forestry and industries…” The participants are forwarding recommendations to the global climate warming meeting. The CEO Water Mandate focuses on responsible engagement in public policy; water and human rights; and water transparency and disclosure.

In the UK: Calls for Water Footprint Labelling
Meanwhile, In the United Kingdom, the Food Ethics Council (FEC) and the health and food advocacy group, Sustain called for package labeling to provide consumers with information about the “water footprint,” the “hidden” amount of water used in the manufacture of foods and beverages. The labeling called for would not involve volume stickers, but would reflect the practice of “good water stewardship,” and the ways in which companies are working to conserve water, use it efficiently and that are environmentally-sustainable. This kind of information could also be incorporated into wider labeling to address fair trade, social issues and the carbon labeling schemes such as those of the Carbon Trust.
Water issues additions to the Institute’s INSIGHTS-edge knowledge management platform
Given the growing importance of water issues to boards and executives of public companies, investors, governments and advocates, INSIGHTS-edge editors have added a new section to the ESG / Sustainability: Water Issues. Here you will find profiles of the following trendsetters and market influencers:
United Nations Water; UNESCO Water; US Environmental Agency, Office of Water; Water.org; WHO Water Sanitation and Health; World Bank “Water”; World Water Council; European Water Partnership; Global Water Partnership; Stockholm International; TruCost. More profiles, background information and streaming news is continuously added in this section.
To learn more about INSIGHTS-edge and the resources of the Governance & Accountability Institute, please log on to: www.gai-insightsedge.com


About the Governance & Accountability Institute: G&A Institute is a knowledge management service provider, offering timely news, actionable research and information, perspectives and opinion, reliable data, and customized advisory services to organizations, investors and institutions seeking to do the right thing for the right reasons. INSIGHTS-edge is the Institute’s Web-based platform, available to subscribers and clients to identify, understand, track and engage with third party organizations that are shaping the capital markets and the corporate environment through their focus on key Sustainability factors.
MEDIA ADVISORY

News Media Contact: Peter M. HamiltonBoerner Communications, Inc.Tel 516.741.8244 Cell 516.375.6434 Email phamilton@boernercommunications.com





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Listed Water Companies on TSX, TSX Venture, OTC, NASDAQ, AMEX, NYSE, ASX, AIM and other leading Stock Exchanges.

New Investing in Water Investor Tools; Water Stocks News RSS Feed and Water Stocks Directory in PDF

New Investing in Water Investor Tools; Water Stocks News RSS Feed and Water Stocks Directory in PDF

www.Water-Stocks.com, Investorideas.com Cleantech Water Investing Portal is Positioning to become a Global Go-to Destination


Featured Water Stocks Showcase Company: Wescorp Energy Inc. (OTCBB: WSCE )

POINT ROBERTS, WA and DELTA, BC –November 17, 2009 www.Water-Stocks.com, an investor and industry portal for the water sector within www.Investorideas.com, features investing in water tools for investors following the sector.

Investorideas.com and www.Water-Stocks.com are positioning to be a leading destination for cleantech investors researching the water space. The new water news feed Water Stocks News at Investorideas.com and the global water stocks directory are two of the top tools available in addition to industry commentary and interviews. The recent interview, Water-Stocks.com Interview with Bill Brennan, Brennan Investment Partners LLC Discusses Investing in Global Water Equities 2009 & Beyond, was one of the most read articles on the site.

Investors researching global water stocks can now purchase the Water Stocks Directory individually in a PDF format for $24.95. The water stocks directory was previously only available as part of the Investorideas.com premium membership. Investorideas.com has broken down several of the stock directories and made them available to investors that are avid fans of specific sectors.
http://www.investorideas.com/Water-Stocks/Stock_List.asp

Investors following the water sector can subscribe to the news feed at http://www.investorideas.com/RSS/feeds/Water-Stocks.xml. Water companies can submit news and press releases online to be included in the new syndicated feed at
http://www1.investorideas.com/NewsUploader/Default.aspx.

The Investorideas.com Water Stocks Index - Published at www.investinwhoyouare.com
Index based on 9 water stocks from the global water stocks directory at www.Investorideas.com and www.water-stocks.com.

www.Water-Stocks.com, an investor portal within the InvestorIdeas.com content umbrella, offers water investors sector- close- ups, research tools, news, Blogs, online conferences, Podcasts , interviews and a directory of public companies within the water sector .The water-stocks content hub has created a global marketplace and meeting place for investors, public companies, industry buyers and sellers of water technology, services and water assets. Investorideas.com and water –stocks.com work with private companies in the water space seeking funding and joint ventures through the global marketplace.

Investors are also reminded to sign up for the launch of the new free investor newsletter – the next great investor idea! Investors can sign up for the new free newsletter on the pop- up box on the home page of www.investorideas.com or the newsletter sign up page.


Featured Water Stock Showcase Company: Wescorp Energy Inc. (OTCBB: WSCE )
Wescorp Energy Inc Showcase Profile Page
Wescorp Energy Inc. (OTCBB: WSCE) is an Oil and Gas solutions provider focused on deploying its water remediation and environmental technologies that overcome tough operational challenges facing oil and gas operators today on a global basis. Virtually anywhere in the world oil is produced contaminated water is produced, this includes associated formation water in conventional oil and gas production and potable water used in unconventional oil production such as the massive Oil Sands development in Alberta Canada.
Using conventional oil/water/solids separation technology, between 0.05% - 5% (500 ppm - 50,000 ppm) residual oil content remains in the water, Wescorp's patented, proven and highly scalable H2Omaxx microscopic aeration technology addresses this crisis by being able to increase the recovery of oil and reduce the amount of hydrocarbons in the contaminated water to less than 0.001% or 10 ppm. Wescorp's H2Omaxx is extremely economical and environmentally friendly eliminating the use of chemicals, filtration systems, high temperature systems and high pressure vessels.
Wescorp Energy Inc Company Website: http://www.wescorpenergy.com/

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Investorideas.com creates a meeting place for investing ideas to take form and come to life in an entrepreneurial environment, servicing the needs of small investors and start- up companies to large conglomerates! We cover multiple industry sectors but specialize in environmental and water.

Disclaimer: Our sites do not make recommendations. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by featured showcase companies including Wescorp Energy (WSCE), news submissions and online advertising. Read our Compensation Disclosure and disclaimers.

For More Information Contact:
Water-stocks.com
Dawn Van Zant 800-665-0411
Email: dvanzant@investorideas.com
Web Site: www.InvestorIdeas.com www.water-stocks.com

Source: Water-Stocks.com, Investorideas.com

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Investorideas.com Expands IR and Investor Tools for Mining Stocks, Renewable Energy Stocks and Water Stocks with Newswires in Each Sector

Investorideas.com Expands IR and Investor Tools for Mining Stocks, Renewable Energy Stocks and Water Stocks with Newswires in Each Sector

Investorideas.com New Mining Newswire and Water Newswire Move up to top ten content pages

DELTA, BC – November 15, 2009, www.InvestorIdeas.com has expanded its tools and services for investors, public companies and entrepreneurs with recently created newswires and newsfeeds in mining, water in addition to the well- known Investor Ideas Newswire and the Renewable and Greentech Business RSS News Feed .

Investors can subscribe to each feed on the Investorideas.com News page to get the latest news from each feed and businesses within each sector as well as other leading sectors Investorideas.com covers can publish press releases and or research reports.

Our leading financial and business newswires : The Investor Ideas Newswire, Water Stocks Newswire, Gold and Mining Newswire, Green Business and Renewable Energy Newswire .

Additional investor tools in the water, mining and renewable energy sectors include comprehensive global stock directories.

Mining and metals investors can research gold and mining stocks with the mining stocks directory, featuring Gold Stocks, Silver Stocks, Uranium Stocks, Copper Stocks, Zinc Stocks and Precious Metals TSX, TSX Venture, OTC, NASDAQ, AMEX, NYSE, ASX, AIM and other leading Stock Exchanges.

Green Energy investors can research stocks with the Renewable Energy Stocks Directory, one of the most comprehensive directories online. The directory has close to 900 stocks and new stocks are added each month for investors following the sector. The complete renewable energy stocks directory features stocks listed on the TSX, OTC, NASDAQ, NYSE, AMEX, ASX, AIM markets and other leading exchanges. The directory includes info and links on Alternative Energy Funds, Biogas and Ethanol Stocks, Energy Efficiency Stocks, Flywheel Stocks, Fuel Cell Stocks, Geothermal Stocks, Hydrogen Production, Micro Turbine Stocks, Solar Stocks, Green Transportation, Wind Power and Wind Energy Stocks and Green Infrastructure Stocks.

Investors also have the option to also access the directories as part of the Investor Ideas Membership premium content. The full directory is now available to Investor Ideas members as part of the annual membership that currently features 9 stock directories and an investor newsletter, the Insiders Corner.

Members can now access by login the Mining stocks directory, oil and gas stocks directory , Natural Gas Stocks Directory , Water Stocks Directory, Renewable energy stocks directory, Biotech Stocks Directory, Defense and Homeland Security Stocks Directory, Fuel cell stocks Directory, Environment Stocks Directory and the investor newsletter- The Insiders Corner, covering insider buying trends in small cap stocks.

Investors are also reminded to sign up for the launch of the new free investor newsletter – the next great investor idea! Investors can sign up for the new free newsletter on the pop- up box on the home page of www.investorideas.com or the newsletter sign up page.

About InvestorIdeas.com:
InvestorIdeas.com is a leading global investor and industry research resource portal specialized in sector investing covering multiple industry sectors including water, mining, renewable energy, energy, biotech, defense and global markets including China, India, Middle East and Australia. The website covers several sectors but has a focus on environment and water. Investorideas.com meets the needs of retail investors, public companies and entrepreneurs with unique tools and services ranging from stock directories, newsfeeds, funding directories and more.

Disclaimer: Our sites do not make recommendations, but offer information portals to research news, articles, stock lists and recent research. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. We attempt to research thoroughly, but we offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of information presented. All Information relating to featured companies is sourced from public documents and/ or the company and is not the opinion of our web sites. This site is currently compensated by featured companies, news submissions and online advertising.

For more information contact:
Dawn Van Zant: 800-665-0411 - dvanzant@investorideas.com or cvanzant@investorideas.com
-Public companies please contact us with updates, corrections and additions.





Visit the water stocks directory at Investorideas.com and Water-stocks.com
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Listed Water Companies on TSX, TSX Venture, OTC, NASDAQ, AMEX, NYSE, ASX, AIM and other leading Stock Exchanges.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Most exciting water news story- water on the moon

NASA news -

LCROSS Impact Data Indicates Water on Moon
11.13.09

The visible camera image showing the ejecta plume at about 20 seconds after impact. Credit: NASA

Data from the down-looking near-infrared spectrometer. The red curve shows how the spectra would look for a "grey" or "colorless" warm (230 C) dust cloud. The yellow areas indicate the water absorption bands.Credit: NASAClick image for full resolution.Data from the ultraviolet/visible spectrometer taken shortly after impact showing emission lines (indicated by arrows). These emission lines are diagnostic of compounds in the vapor/debris cloud.Credit: NASAClick image for full resolution.

Click here for more images of the results. The argument that the moon is a dry, desolate place no longer holds water.Secrets the moon has been holding, for perhaps billions of years, are now being revealed to the delight of scientists and space enthusiasts alike. NASA today opened a new chapter in our understanding of the moon. Preliminary data from the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite, or LCROSS, indicates that the mission successfully uncovered water during the Oct. 9, 2009 impacts into the permanently shadowed region of Cabeus cater near the moon’s south pole. The impact created by the LCROSS Centaur upper stage rocket created a two-part plume of material from the bottom of the crater. The first part was a high angle plume of vapor and fine dust and the second a lower angle ejecta curtain of heavier material. This material has not seen sunlight in billions of years. "We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system. It turns out the moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. Scientists have long speculated about the source of vast quantities of hydrogen that have been observed at the lunar poles. The LCROSS findings are shedding new light on the question of water, which could be more widespread and in greater quantity than previously suspected. Permanently shadowed regions could hold a key to the history and evolution of the solar system, much as an ice core sample taken on Earth reveals ancient data. In addition, water, and other compounds represent potential resources that could sustain future lunar exploration. Since the impacts, the LCROSS science team has been working almost nonstop analyzing the huge amount of data the spacecraft collected. The team concentrated on data from the satellite's spectrometers, which provide the most definitive information about the presence of water. A spectrometer examines light emitted or absorbed by materials that helps identify their composition. "We are ecstatic," said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water." The team took the known near infrared spectral signatures of water and other materials and compared them to the spectra collected by the LCROSS near infrared spectrometer of the impact. "We were only able to match the spectra from LCROSS data when we inserted the spectra for water," said Colaprete. "No other reasonable combination of other compounds that we tried matched the observations. The possibility of contamination from the Centaur also was ruled out." Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that was attributed to hydroxyl, one product from the break-up of water by sunlight. When atoms and molecules are excited, they release energy at specific wavelengths that are detected by the spectrometers. A similar process is used in neon signs. When electrified, a specific gas will produce a distinct color. The ultraviolet visible spectrometer detected hydroxyl signatures just after impact that are consistent with a water vapor cloud in sunlight. Data from the other LCROSS instruments are being analyzed for additional clues about the state and distribution of the material at the impact site. The LCROSS science team along with colleagues are poring over the data to understand the entire impact event, from flash to crater, with the final goal being the understanding of the distribution of materials, and in particular volatiles, within the soil at the impact site. "The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich," said Colaprete. "Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years." LCROSS was launched June 18, 2009 as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After separating from LRO, the LCROSS spacecraft held onto the spent Centaur upper stage rocket of the launch vehicle, executed a lunar swingby and entered into a series of long looping orbits around the Earth. After traveling approximately 113 days and nearly 5.6 million miles (9 million km), the Centaur and LCROSS separated on final approach to the moon. Traveling as fast as a speeding bullet, the Centaur impacted the lunar surface shortly after 4:31 a.m. PDT Oct. 9 with LCROSS watching with its onboard instruments. Approximately four minutes of data was collected before the LCROSS itself impacted the lunar surface. Working closely with scientists from LRO and other observatories that viewed the impact, the LCROSS team is working to understand the full scope of the LCROSS data. LRO continues to make passes over the impact site to give the LCROSS team additional insight into the mechanics of the impact and its resulting craters. What other secrets will the moon reveal? The analysis continues!

Jonas Dino NASA Ames Research Center







Visit the water stocks directory at Investorideas.com and Water-stocks.com

Listed Water Companies on TSX, TSX Venture, OTC, NASDAQ, AMEX, NYSE, ASX, AIM and other leading Stock Exchanges.