Ever since our existence the moon has captured our interest
Decades ago we ventured outside our atmosphere and landed on its surface
Since then we have seen rapid advancements in technology and space exploration is more promising than ever before
With the International Space Station nearing decommission it poses the question
Could one of our endeavors be to build a moon base
Many government agencies and private space companies have already proposed plans for a lunar base
NASA's interest in establishing a moon base has never waned
However with political changes and unstable budgets it has not been a priority
Two years ago the European Space Agency or ESA?
announced plans for building a permanent lunar base in the 2020s called moon village
SpaceX has also shown interest with Elon Musk stating its 2017. We should have a lunar base by now
To have a permanent moon base a crew would need food water shelter and plenty of oxygen to survive
In the short term this would mean transporting copious amounts of supplies from Earth
Compared to Mars and Venus where interest is keen. It would be cost effective
At 384,000 kilometers away the moon is our closest celestial body
It may be our closest space neighbor, but with a lack of conditions to sustain human settlement
It's going to be difficult the lack of atmosphere on the moon brings hazards from cosmic radiation to deadly micro meteoroids
the temperature will also be a problem changing from 120 degrees during the day to minus 173 at night
A moon base could serve as a launching platform or fueling station for future missions and would be way cheaper than launching them from Earth
Rockets would take less fuel to launch due to a decreased gravitational pull as the moon's gravity is 1/6
that of earth
It would also provide a unique environment for scientific research and experiments
Rovers could be used to find a suitable location to set up such a base
They could also explore nearby resources making it far safer and cheaper than humans
although it is said what a rover can do in ten years an astronaut could do in a couple of hours
A key location might be underground in caves or lunar lava tubes having natural protection from micro meteorites and cosmic radiation
Japan's JAXA spacecraft Kaguya first spotted an opening in the moon's Marius Hills region back in 2009
further observation from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance
Orbiter revealed it to be a hundred and fifty feet wide and deep and 30 miles long
Which would be more than enough room for a base
Another good location to set up would likely be at the poles. Where sunlight is almost always present, and there is potential for water sources
NASA satellites have already indicated that water ice might be present in shadowed craters that never see sunlight at the North Pole
In addition India's upcoming missions chandrayaan 2 be ready to orbit and launch a rover on the moon surface this year
If successful chandrayaan 2 will be the first ever mission to land a rover near the luminous, South Pole
This will reveal important scientific data on lunar topography mineralogy and signatures of water ice
Another valuable resource on the moon would be helium-3 which is in short supply on earth?
in most nuclear power plants nuclear fission reactors are used in which uranium nuclei are split apart releasing energy and
Radioactive waste helium-3 has the potential to be used as a fuel in future nuclear fusion reactors and would produce little
radioactive waste
However, it's likely such a technology will not be available for at least another 50 to 100 years
One Nation who are developing their space technology extensively is China who have expressed their enthusiasm to mine this resource
However the outer space treaty signed in 1967 prohibits any nation from claiming territory in space or on celestial bodies
Justifying that space and everything in it is the shared heritage of all mankind
Which will surely go down while if we ever met with another intelligent civilization
Currently the only reason to go to space is to launch satellites make new discoveries and carry out scientific research
no one has the technology to cheaply mine asteroids for resources or set up a colony and
Only a few billionaires can afford a trip around the moon
When a company or government agency find a way to make a profit from space ventures
This old cold war treaty may be bought into question or discarded
But in the short term a lunar base would likely be used like the International Space Station a place built by all
space-faring nations and used in harmony as for the construct of the base solar panels would provide a power source and
necessaries like construction and
Communication would also need to come from Earth which would be expensive
But companies like SpaceX are finding new and innovative ways to make space travel
cost-effective using renewable rockets like the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy
The ESA are also working on developing
technologies in 3D printing to better cope with the moon's environment a lunar base could have a
communication center a research lab and facilities and habitats for the people living there
Once everything is set up a crew could be sent up to carry out research and experiments
But would also continue to work on the base
Astronauts and researchers at the lunar base would likely follow a similar routine to the International Space Station astronauts on board the ISS
Usually stay for around six months with three to six crew members at all times
although the American astronaut Peggy Whitson has spent six hundred and sixty-five days in space
Astronauts can't really stay in space for prolonged periods because at low levels of gravity our muscles and bones change dramatically
On average astronauts will lose more than 1 percent of their bone mass each month. They spend in space
It's clear a colony on the moon is not suitable
But a base from which Rockets can be launched and technologies tested the future looks bright
Due to its short distance away equipment
And the building processes could be tested at minimum risk
providing useful experience and insights before our future endeavors to Mars and beyond
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