What you need to know:
- Human beings returning to the moon are more likely than ever, NASA and ESA are collaborating on the Artemis program
- Recently, successful moon missions have been done by China and India
- Space agencies and commercial companies want to use the Moon for scientific research and as a base to go to Mars
Increasing interest in moon missions
The Artemis program is an North American, NASA -led human spacecraft program, including 55 international colleagues including the European Space Agency (ESA).
NASA aims to establish a permanent base on the south pole of the moon and call it Artemis Base Camp. So a new space station is to be launched, called a gateway, in the orbit of the moon.
A joint China-Russia project, which incorporates 13 international partners, is to build a moon base called International Lunar Research Station by 2035.
Both Artemis Base Camp and International Lunar Research Station have been proposed as scientists in nature. When successful, they will host astronauts for small styles and house permanent robotic devices, which may operate from the Earth.
But the Moon has always been of strategic value. During the cold war, the us and soviet-aaa-fought out their ideological differences on the moon as on the Earth.
And so it is today, except that there are more players. For one, the US has publicly stated that it considers itself in a new space race, which America wants to win.
Why are there more reasons here.
Moon is rich in resources
The part of the Moon’s appeal was read in its abundant resources. Thesis included:
- Iron
- Silicon
- Hydrogen
- Titanium
- Rare earth element
While the cost of extraction and transportation is high, some of these resources may be brown on Earth, where resource supply is decreasing.
Mining operations on the moon can pave the way to remove a huge mineral money hero in asteroids, and the Moon will be the first place of this will.
Most of the materials extracted from the moon will be used to replace materials that will need to bring other white from the Earth, the required lunar base will be made by self-form.
For example, resolith (lunar soil) can be used as radiation protection and construction materials for lunar locations.
Water, which was first discovered on the Moon by the Indian Mission Chandrayaan -1 in 2008, will be imported for drinking, growing food and cooling devices.
Mission since Chandrayaan -1 has shown that there are high concentrations of C on Lunar Pole, partially the first lunar colonies, which are on the pole and perhaps to be built on the south pole of the moon, even if it is difficult for the country.
The thesis base can be used as a “transit lounge” for astronauts on its way on Mars.
For energy, solar radiation is already used to provide electricity to some spacecraft and satellites, but can be used to make rockets.
Therefore, the moon has a possible amount of helium -3, a possible fuel for nuclear fusion power.
So, this is another reason why the future Mars missions are landing on the moon to fill a stopover and fuel.
Scientific research on moon
Scientific research is at the core of the ESA’s moon exploration programs, as it is for all space agencies, Sara Pastor, ESA’s lunar and gateway program manager said DW in an email.
Humans have a continuous presence in space for the last 20 years aboard the international space station. But the ISS is only 250 miles (~ 400 km) away in the ISS lower orbit, which is as low as four hours after launching from Earth. The Moon is at a distance of 250,000 miles – about three days of spaceflight – and a risky journey for astronauts. The first research on the moon is to make that journey safe and easy.
Then environmental science is: “[Scientists] The lunar will examine the nature of the environment, their unique position affects human health and demonstration, and how the robot exploration systems, and how human activity the thesis affects the atmosphere, ”said the pastor.
Researchers would like to determine how water, metal and other lunar resources can be used to maintain lunar bases for a long time, and it is best to remove them.
“ESA radiation is developing equipment for environmental measurement, drilling and in-situ sample analysis, geophysics and lunar space weather,” the pastor said.
Moon Tech benefits all of us on earth
It is often claimed that we make mobile phones for Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s. While our mobile phone is not direct descendants from Space Tech, Apollo missions helped shorten electronic and telecommunications tools.
Dozens of modern technologies originally developed in Space agencies R&D Labs bring benefits to people on Earth-Shail home insulation, memory foam (used in mattresses), freeze dried foods, robotic sensors and organs, and telemedicine.
Scientific astronauts are the methods of developmental equipment and health tracking to protect the health of astronauts, when they spend longer in the extreme conditions of the space, typically human immune system. For example, light clinical equipment requires spaceflights without medical training to monitor their health.
Thesis technologies can also be used on Earth.
For humans on Mars from a lunar hub to each other (or third) house?
The long -term target of building surface and orbital moon’s bases is to serve as a staging post for a longer distant space trip.
“A colony on the moon will be extremely useful and the surface of Mars would be a major training ground for human exploration,” said the pastor.
NASA has planned to send astronauts to Mars in the 2030s.
Edited by: Zulfiker Ebony
