Water on the Moon | Not a Business Opportunity

NASA finds water on the moon

Image by flickr

Yes, NASA is reporting today that it has found water on the moon. How did they do that? Well, to put it in layman’s terms (because that is the only language I speak), they sent a rocket with all kinds of sensory instruments hurtling toward the moon. When it crashed it created a big plume of debris, and this sensitive rocket detected that there was water in it.

So, if you’re picturing a puddle or a river or pond, that’s not quite the case. The rocket reported that there was water vapor and ice grains. NASA discovering water on the moon has got people talking about what they could do with this water. As is the American way, a lot of people are throwing around ideas for how they could make money off of it, even though no money lender in her right mind would invest in moon water products.

Ideas for water on the moon

I have one particularly witty friend who wrote on Facebook today: “Ice found on moon! Get some barley, hops and yeast up there and start brewing!” I came across a space blog that said “I don’t have to tell you about the implications here. Just think of how much you could sell authentic Moon bottled water for.”

Both of these ideas, bottled moon water and moon beer, would most definitely sell. I would pay a good chunk of money for moon beer. I am sure people with tons of disposable income would pay staggering amounts for a bottle of moon water.

Marketability is not the problem

Of course, no matter how much money people are willing to pay for moon water or moon beer, there’s no way the sale price would cover the cost of collecting water on the moon. Everyone knows space travel and exploration are super expensive. Almost as expensive as war.

So before you start making phone calls to investors or designing moon beer labels, remember that profit means you have to take in more money than you spend. Still, if anyone out there does end up making moon beer, please let me know.