What is going on
In the four-year period between 1969 and 1972, twelve American astronauts walked on the moon. Not a single human being, from any country, has repeated this feat in the more than fifty years that have followed.
The United States hopes to break this trend within the coming years through NASA's new moon program, which will be called Artemis. The space agency now expects Artemis III, whose mission is to return astronauts to the moon's surface, to be ready for launch by the end of 2026. A precursor to that mission, to send humans on a lap around the moon, is planned. for 2025. Both missions were initially scheduled to take place a year earlier, but NASA announced earlier this week that it was postponing them to give more time to address the "challenges" of developing spacecraft that will carry astronauts into space. trip.
The first moon landing was one of the signature historical events of the 20th century, but interest in putting humans on the moon quickly waned after the goal of simply getting there was achieved. Today, NASA hopes not just to reach the moon, but to lay the groundwork for establishing a "long-term presence" there and eventually using it as a launch pad to send humans to Mars.
The big change that fueled this new, expanded vision of a return to the moon was the discovery of water on the moon's surface, which was only confirmed in recent years. In theory, water extracted from icy patches in deep craters or mined from lunar soil could provide not only drinking water for long-term settlements, but also - if broken down into its component parts - oxygen for breathing and hydrogen as fuel.
We're going to the moon, to stay. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson
Why there is discussion
Proponents of a return to the moon, and ultimately the possibility of staying there, have a long list of reasons why this effort would be good for the US and humanity more broadly. Possibilities include potentially groundbreaking discoveries about the origins of the solar system, new technological developments, the chance to mine rare precious elements for use on Earth, and even a chance to save humanity from extinction if life on Earth becomes unsustainable.
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Others argue that the world is already in the early stages of another great space race, this time involving several countries and private companies, and that the US has a duty to once again take the lead. In their eyes, America must be the first to successfully establish a human presence on the moon, otherwise our rivals - especially China - will have the power to decide what happens there and for what purposes.
But skeptics say the idea that humans will one day be able to live on the moon or another planet is pure fantasy and there is no point in spending hundreds of billions of dollars to prove it. There are also concerns that if that dream somehow becomes a reality, the moon could become just another location for humanity's insatiable appetite for destruction, greed and conflict.
What's next
NASA's chances of meeting the new deadlines for its Artemis missions depend on the development of its own Orion spacecraft, which will take astronauts to the moon, and a lunar lander being built by SpaceX, Elon's rocket company Musk.
A fourth Artemis mission, to send humans to a proposed space station in the moon's orbit, is "on schedule" for 2028, NASA said.
Perspectives
The moon will be a crucial testing ground for our plans to travel further into the solar system"The moon could be a place for colonists to make space before humans take root in more distant locations like Mars." - David Warmflash, Valuable Science
Moon colonies are pure science fiction"Humans have evolved and adapted to the conditions on Earth. Move us from our planet and we begin to fail - physically and psychologically. The risk of cancer from cosmic rays and the problems human bodies experience in microgravity could be dealbreakers in themselves. Furthermore, there may not be a viable economic reason to maintain a presence on another world." - Sarah Scoles, Scientific American
Exploring the moon could reveal untold secrets about the solar system"If you really want to understand the origins of the solar system's evolution, there's no better place to go [than] the moon." - David Kring, lunar geologist, at NPR
We may end up spending enormous amounts of money doing what we did 50 years ago"Part of the problem is that it looks a bit like an Apollo acquisition. That's not the intention: in theory, this is the start of a persistent presence on the moon, which is an exciting idea. But I have doubts about whether it is sustainable, given the costs and politics." - David Grinspoon, astrobiologist, to the New York Times
Humanity should always strive for incredible things"Stripped to its core, space exploration is about an appeal to hope and a better future. Whether or not a specific expedition produces a stunning triumph of science or engineering - even art or culture - NASA must represent to the world that continued exploration is fundamentally making our world a little better. - G. Ryan Faith, SpaceNews
America cannot allow its enemies to control space"The recovery of the US lunar program has important national security implications. The new cold war between the United States and China has led to a new space race. ... If the Chinese are going to militarize space, we cannot allow them to outpace us technologically." - Alexander Hughes, National Magazine
Lunar mining may be necessary to maintain the quality of life on Earth"Lunar sources of rare earth elements are a thousand times more abundant than terrestrial reserves. In fact, lunar development is the only long-term solution for life with our dwindling Earth resources." - Joseph Silk, Princeton University Press
The pursuit of trade and competition could destroy irreplaceable scientific sites"We are not trying to block the construction of moon bases. However, there are only a handful of promising sites and some are incredibly valuable scientifically. We have to be very, very careful where we build our mines and bases." - Richard Green, astronomer at the University of Arizona, to Bangor Daily News
Advanced robots have made human astronauts obsolete"We require so much more maintenance than robots. They are less vulnerable to radiation than we are, and they do not require food, water or life support systems. Moreover, they are replaceable: for example, if a spacecraft were to explode during landing, there would be no tears shed - we would just send a new crew of bots." - Graham Phillips, Sydney Morning Herald
We should not simply assume that NASA can achieve its grand plans for space travel"This is a shaky, uncertain start to an effort to return humans to the moon's surface for the first time in half a century - and could make that return, if it ever happens, very short-lived." - Rebecca Boyle, MIT Technology Review
