Water on the Moon

One of the remarkable things about science fiction is that it forms the template through which subsequent generations see advancements in real science.

So, when we hear, as we recently have, that the moon may have a good deal of water bound up in its dirt, the folks at NASA may be thinking: colonization is possible after all. The moon could end up being the low-gravity, and so extremely convenient, launching pad for human explorations of distant space.

What is the first thing that people outside NASA and conversant with as much science fiction as actual science think, though?

They are reminded that Heinlein predicted the discovery of ice on the moon in his 1966 novel, "the Moon is a Harsh Mistress." Unsurprisingly, then, Heinlein references on the web have abounded in tne days since this discovery.

Actually, water was at the center of RH's plot. The moon's water supplies are crucial butlimited. Earth is using the moon colony as a food source, but this in turn represents the continual drainage of that water supply. This is a death sentence to the residents of the moon, because they couldn't survive on earth (their bodies have become adapted to low-grav consitions) so they have no choice but to rebel.