“US moon base plans revealed for what Nasa chief calls ‘the grand return’” [South China Morning Post].
Located at the moon’s south pole, the outpost, which eventually may have sites spread out over hundreds of square kilometres, would be established in a phased approach, which builds capability over time.
The pioneering development was designed to help unlock new scientific discoveries and develop the technologies needed for future deep space missions, including to Mars.
The version in my RSS reader included a lot of material that was cut from the version in my browser (same URL):
Unveiling the plans, Nasa chief Jared Isaacman said the American public was excited about a moon base and “the grand return” to the lunar surface.
He said: “It means people are looking up again, believing in big things again, and paying attention as America returns to the moon again, and this time to stay”.
Isaacman added: “We are leveraging the Nasa playbook from the 1960s figuring out what works and what doesn’t in this epic science of survival. Because the moon base is as beautiful as it is hostile.”
“We go for the technology we will pioneer to get there, the science and all that we will learn that will make life better here on Earth, to advance humankind on this great adventure, to inspire the next generation to do it better than we can and, to be very clear, to master the skills for where we will inevitably go next.”
Dr Lori Glaze of Nasa’s exploration systems development mission directorate, said: “The incredible success of the Artemis II mission has taken Nasa from proving what is possible to making the extraordinary routine.
“Just last month, humanity returned to deep space. Artemis II is not only a historic journey, it was a comprehensive test of Nasa’s capabilities as we push farther from Earth.”
Carlos Garcia-Galan, moon base programme executive [added]: “There’s certainly going to be a whole lot of inspiration that is coming out of this for the next generation, but number one, we want to be in an environment where we can learn the skills, so that astronauts can go and plant the stars and stripes on Mars someday”.
Most of me doesn’t oppose the project — lingering childhood memories of JFK, I suppose — but part of me is repelled by the bombast, which makes me secretly hope the project fails. No mention of military uses, of course.
Comments
So as I child I first read Robert A. Heinlein’s, Moon is a Harsh Mistress. As novels go, I was hooked (I’ve revisited it a few more times over the years). Even then it wasn’t lost on me the moon represents the military high ground and because rocks are cheap, holds the keys to world domination.
If you’ve never read the book, then first, it’s a good yarn. Second, it’s an excellent primer to how diplomacy works when you speak quietly whilst wielding a big stick. After all, with no atmosphere to contend with an inexpensive railgun for launching plus cheap rockets for steering means even relatively small masses will get someone’s attention … and cooperation.
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John
It's the high ground