MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. -- A team of NASA scientists announced Friday the discovery of a large amount of water on the moon's south pole.

"Indeed, yes, we found water. And we didn't find just a little bit, we found a significant amount," said Anthony Colaprete, a principal project investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center.

Just weeks after NASA's Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission analyzed a plume of debris generated by the impact of a satellite into a crater near the moon's south pole, scientists said the findings suggest the presence of frozen water at the site of impact.

"We are ecstatic," said Colaprete. "Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water."

Over the last decade, scientists have found some hints of underground ice on the moon's poles, but this is the best evidence yet.

"We're unlocking the mysteries of our nearest neighbor and by extension the solar system. It turns out the moon harbors many secrets, and LCROSS has added a new layer to our understanding," said Michael Wargo, chief lunar scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

LCROSS was launched June 18, 2009 as a companion mission to the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO.

After a 113 day and 5.6 million mile journey, the Centaur and LCROSS separated on final approach to the moon. The Centaur slammed into the surface of the moon at 4:31 a.m. PDT Oct. 9 with LCROSS closely observing with its instruments.

After four minutes of data collection, LCROSS itself was destroyed after impacting the lunar surface.