Water is everywhere on the moon

While ice had been discovered on the moon 11 years ago, it was thought that they were limited to permanently dark, cold craters at the poles.

One new study found a water concentration of about 100 to 400 parts per million at Clavius Crater, one of the largest craters to be visible from Earth.

It's the first confirmation that water is present in easier-to-access sunlit areas of the moon.

The water was discovered using data from Sofia (the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) telecope.

The telescope is mounted on a Boeing 747SP aircraft that flies into the stratosphere - above 99 per cent of Earth's infrared blocking atmosphere.

The second study found evidence of billions of coin-sized micro-craters, that could each cradle a miniscule amount of ice.

Says Nasa's Paul Hertz: "The first important thing is: is this water on the moon useful as a resource for our future explorers?"

If this water could be extracted, it could give astronauts travelling to the Moon and beyond access to drinking water. They might even be able to split the molecules to make rocket fuel.