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Water molecules have been detected on the surface of an asteroid for the first time, revealing new clues about the distribution of water in our solar system. Scientists studied four silicate-rich asteroids using data gathered by the now-retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), a telescope-outfitted plane operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center. Observations by SOFIA's Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST) instrument showed that two of the asteroids — named Iris and Massalia — exhibit a specific wavelength of light that indicated the presence of water molecules at their surface, a new study reports. "Asteroids are leftovers from the planetary formation process, so their compositions vary depending on where they formed in the solar nebula," study lead author Anicia Arredondo, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said in a statement. "Of particular interest is the distribution of water on asteroids, because ...

Mining the moon and asteroids could be worth trillions upon trillions of dollars, and several companies have popped up with that mission in mind. But is space mining technically legal? For asteroids, the answer is probably "yes," but for the moon, it's complicated, experts say. In 1967, 110 countries, including the U.S., Russia and China, signed a treaty stating that no "sovereigns" can claim ownership of the moon . However, this "Outer Space Treaty" (OST) does not explicitly prohibit companies or individuals from extracting and owning resources from space, Michelle Hanlon , a professor of space law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, told Live Science . Related: Undiscovered 'minimoons' may orbit Earth. Could they help us become an interplanetary species? "As a lawyer, I can point out all of the gray right there," said Hanlon, who is also the CEO & president of For All Moonkind , a nonprofit that aims to protec...