Final Project

Travis S.

Legislator:  Robert L. Duncan, Senator

In recent years, there has been much attention drawn to Mars research, exploration, and even colonization. This is for good reason. Whether it is the possibility of new scientific research, or just the thrill of going someplace no human has ever been before, Mars has much to offer. However, before advancing to this next level of space exploration I believe that it is vital to master the level we are on right now, which is our own moon. Interest in the moon peaked with the first Apollo missions, and then has seemingly declined ever since the cancellation of Apollo missions 18, 19, and 20 in the seventies. Whether the reason is to further our knowledge of outer space in general, or to prepare for the long awaited missions to Mars, the moon should not be forgotten.

The first reason research on the moon should be continued is that it is an important stepping stone to our future goal of Mars. The moon is very similar to Mars in that it has very little gravity, and similar challenges such as radiation and fine dust. However, it is only a short, three day journey from the Earth. This means that even while practicing for month, or even year long missions, astronauts or equipment could be shortly resupplied or rescued. However, a successful journey to Mars would require equipment to perform flawlessly for twenty six consecutive months. Despite it’s relative proximity, the moon is still a completely different world, and could better prepare astronauts mentally for life on another planet than any simulation here on Earth.

The moon is beginning to show a lot of possibility for research, especially in the area of lunar telescopes. Unlike here on Earth, the moon has no atmosphere. This means that the sky is perfectly black, and stars do not appear to twinkle. Stars, galaxies, and other areas of interest can be observed in all wavelengths, including ultraviolet, radio, infrared, x-ray, and visible. Here on Earth, observatories are limited by our atmosphere, which absorbs and therefore distorts light, completely blocks ultraviolet and x-rays, and some infrared and low frequency radio waves. In addition, night on the moon lasts for 350 consecutive hours. This would allow scientists much longer periods of time to find and focus in on fainter signals. Compare this to the forty five minutes of darkness that Hubble, NASA's best telescope, has to work in. Without any seismic activity, the moon is a very stable platform for telescopes, especially compared to orbiting satellites used now. The moon also has no weather. These two factors mean that equipment on the moon is not prone to damage, and could potentially last for decades.

Mining and manufacturing is another area that holds great potential for future utilization. If more missions to the moon are planned, including possible colonization, one area that will be of great importance is cost. It is estimated to cost approximately $25,000 to get one pound of material to the moon. At this rate, it is very expensive to get people and their equipment to the moon, not to mention the bulky and heavy materials needed to build facilities to house them. Engineers have predicted that managing existing resources on the moon, and possibly later Mars, will be the key to future missions. Luckily, the moon has many resources to be exploited, including water from the poles, oxygen from the soil, and many gases. Engineers have already identified several construction materials that could be obtained solely from the moon, saving valuable space on rockets from Earth. These materials include concrete, sulfer concrete, cast basalt, sintered basalt, fiberglass, cast glass, and some metals.

While we are still dreaming about one day going to Mars, there are several groups that have an interest in the moon, know it's potential, and are already way beyond dreaming. Although their future goals and plans to achieve those goals vary slightly, these privately operated groups have detailed plans to get them to the moon. The first is the Delphi Project, which has the goal to define, design, and establish a permanent, self-sustaining community, "Delphi", on Earth's moon. Their current plans predict a population of one thousand by the year 2020. The goals of the Artemis Project include the building or a permanent, self supporting lunar community, exploiting lunar resources for profit, and creating an economic environment where regular commercial space flight between the Earth and moon is financially viable. The International Lunar Exploration Working Group, or ILEWG for short, was established in 1995. It's charter states to develop and international strategy for the exploration of the moon, to establish a forum and mechanism for the communication and coordination of activities, an to implement international coordination and cooperation. Projects to Employ Resources of the Moon and Asteroids Near Earth in the Near Term, or PERMANENT, is another organization with hopes of private space exploration. They hope to develop outer space on a very large scale, rapidly, by using materials used in space-asteroids near Earth and/or lunar material-instead of expensively blasting up from Earth all the materials used in space. More specifically, they wish to explore, and mainly profit from things gathered, and/ or manufactured in space. These items include satellites for wireless communication on Earth, space station parts, industrial facilities, fuel propellants, and solar power that could potentially be beamed to Earth, efficiently and cleanly.

Until man has ventured further into space than ever before, and successfully walked on Mars, it's appeal will only increase. However, whether from scientific gains in astronomy, financial gains from mining, manufacturing, and producing power, or the excitement of private enterprise in a new market, the moon should not be forgotten. Even while trying to progress towards a new goal, it is important not to overlook the valuable resources that are already in our reach.

Delphi Project:  http://www.apollo-society.org/delphi.html

PERMANENT:  http://www.permanent.com

Artemis: http://www.asi.org/index.html

ILEWG: http://ilewg.jsc.nasa.gov

Unit 6:  Moon Base Alpha: http://www.aerospacescholars.org/scholars/earthstationmoon/Unit6/lesson6.htm

Last Updated: 07/20/01