For a long time, American scientists have persistently pursued the goal of conquering space by overcoming technical obstacles.
For the first time since 1972, the United States is planning a trip to the Moon. However, this time it is not a short-term flight like the Apollo missions. Astronauts intend to establish a permanent base on the Moon and live there while preparing for what could be the most ambitious journey in the history of space exploration: a flight to Mars.
In 2004, President Bush announced a plan to build a new spacecraft to travel to the Moon by 2020, followed by a mission to Mars. However, NASA is currently busy designing a new spacecraft, which consumes about 40% of the budget allocated for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station, resulting in delays in executing this ambitious plan.
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The United States plans to conquer Mars from the Moon. Image from an international website. |
Currently, those planning the Moon program are following the President’s initiative and will outline the necessary standards for the new spacecraft in the next six months, which will provide astronauts with opportunities to study the Moon’s surface. Architect Larry Toups, who oversees human systems at NASA’s Advanced Concepts Office, stated that this is a future-oriented task, similar to preparing for a picnic and getting a car ready. You want to be sure if you can go, if needed.
In the meantime, scientists and engineers are diligently researching technologies that do not currently exist and addressing challenges such as how to cope with psychological stress in a lunar habitat, how to create machinery suitable for the Moon, and how to develop skills that Christopher Mc Key at NASA’s research center refers to as a “research culture.”
The Moon is not for the faint-hearted. It is an environment devoid of atmosphere, constantly bombarded by cosmic rays and meteoroids, experiencing extreme temperature fluctuations in the hundreds of degrees, and covered in dust that can damage astronauts’ suits, pollute the reserve atmosphere, and cause machinery to malfunction.
Additionally, many unanswered questions remain, such as how health will be affected after a year of working in an environment with 1/6th of Earth’s gravity.
How will humans react to living in a confined space under dangerous conditions for six months? Transporting people there without knowing if they can return is also a concern.
In some ways, living on the Moon may be even more challenging than on Mars. Lunar dust is harder than Martian dust; Mars has an atmosphere, and its gravity is stronger (around 1/3 of Earth’s gravity); there is more ice on Mars that can be used for water, while the Moon may have some, but not much.
However, ultimately, the Moon is more appealing because it is closer: the distance from Earth to the Moon is 250,000 miles, whereas to Mars, it is 34 million miles at its closest point. In an emergency, one can reach the Moon in just three days, while it takes several months to reach Mars, assuming propulsion technology that does not yet exist.
The reason the Moon has become an integral part of the Bush initiative is that Americans do not want to pay the high price for past mistakes.
Another reason, which even scientists acknowledge, is that if the U.S. does not return to the Moon, other countries will.
Pascal Lee, Director of the Mars Institute, stated: “The novelty lies in the fact that China has declared its intention to fly to the Moon. Not only Europeans but also Russians are keen to go there. Can the U.S. skip the Moon and go to Mars while India and China are heading to the Moon? I think not.” If the goals set by Bush are achieved, the U.S. will be at the forefront of space exploration in the coming decade.
Despite dealing with issues related to the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, NASA continues to plan lunar exploration and seek necessary technical solutions. Researcher Toups indicated that once they reach the Moon, they will begin exploring specific areas within 2-4 years, similar to the six lunar missions of Apollo, which concluded in 1972, to find a more suitable location within 7-10 days.
The U.S. already has stations at the South Pole of Earth where workers must live in isolation, facing harsh external conditions, limited mobility, no local population, and cannot survive without external assistance. This serves as a model for lunar stations, integrating many modern technologies, such as energy-saving technologies, including solar panels that provide power even during the 14 days of darkness on the Moon.
For instance, the astronauts’ suits used in Apollo weighed over 270 pounds on Earth, but only 40-50 pounds on the Moon, and 102 pounds on Mars. Dust also poses significant concerns for building stations there, necessitating the consideration of treating the ground surface with microwaves to create a hard surface layer. Dust hampers the use of ball-bearing devices. The dust, low gravity, and fluctuating temperatures make the technical equipment used on the Moon unpredictable.
Researcher Daryl J. Calkins mentioned that diesel engines cannot be placed there, bulldozers cannot be used, and no existing aerodynamic devices can withstand the conditions. To find suitable tools, we may have to go back to the 19th century with levers and ropes. Even grading construction sites is challenging because the Moon’s gravity does not provide a stable base for bulldozers.
Researcher Mc Key affirmed that while it is a difficult task, it is feasible. We must learn how to do it, and if we succeed on the Moon, we can answer the main question: Can Mars be made habitable? I believe the answer is affirmative.
