NASA plans two new missions to mine ice water on the moon

NASA scientists are launching two missions to mine ice water stored on the moon in an attempt to help lay the foundations to extend the possibility of human survival outside the Earth.

The two missions, Lunar Flashlight and the Resource Prospector Mission are set to launch in 2017 and 2018.

"If you're going to have humans on the moon and you need water for drinking, breathing, rocket fuel, anything you want, it's much, much cheaper to live off the land than it is to bring everything with you," said Lunar Flashlight principal investigator Barbara Cohen.