Humans living on the moon: NASA reveals exciting plan for lunar base

NASA has unveiled details of its ambitious three-phase mission to build a base on the moon.

The agency detailed its $20 billion plan to establish “Moon Base” in the lunar south pole region during a press conference on Tuesday, US time.

“America is returning to the moon,” NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said.

“We are working alongside our many international and commercial partners to leverage* the incredible capabilities from the commercial industry* to build a moon base.”

NASA said it planned to build the base in stages, with the first of three phases already underway.

“We are not jumping right into the glass dome moon base as a service,” Mr Isaacman said.

Under phase one, the agency planned to launch a series of robotic missions to scout the lunar south pole region and test technologies.

NASA’s program executive for Moon Base, Carlos García-Galán, said the phase would include 25 launches and 21 landings, and would see about four metric tons of cargo sent to the moon’s surface.

NASA’s priority until 2029 was to make sure the journey to the lunar surface was both safe and reliable.

“We’re also going to test and experiment the science of survival … We’re going to experiment on the things that we know are ahead of us that we’re going to need to build a permanent infrastructure*,” Mr García-Galán said.

Blue Origin, the company owned by billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has been chosen to send its Mark 1 Endurance lander to deliver equipment to a strategically chosen area of the lunar south pole. The company has been awarded an initial $188 million contract.

A lander built by Astrobotic will also be used to transport a rover and over 1000 pounds of cargo to the moon during this first phase.

NASA also awarded Astrolab $219 million and Lunar Outpost $220 million to deliver the first phase of lunar terrain vehicles* (LTVs).

During the second phase, planned to take place between 2029 and 2032, NASA aims to establish early infrastructure on the lunar surface.

“In phase two, we will be building permanent infrastructure, including laying out a power grid and things like that, all building up to what it takes to do permanent habitation*,” said Mr García-Galán.

In the third phase, set to take place in 2032 and beyond, NASA aims to achieve a sustained human presence on the moon by sending crew members to stay at the base on rotation.

“Then we’ll be able to say, ‘Hey, we’re permanently here, and we’re not giving it up,’” Mr Garcia-Galan said.

A HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT
Mr Isaacman acknowledged the Moon Base project – which would lay the foundation for an expedition to Mars – would be challenging, saying the moon’s surface was beautiful yet hostile.

“In sunlight, the surface can heat to over 250 degrees,” Mr Isaacman said. “In darkness, it can drop well below -200. In the permanently shadowed craters – areas of great interest that have been untouched by sunlight for millions, even billions of years – temperatures can fall well below -400 degrees.

“There is no atmosphere to moderate these extremes, no protection from radiation and solar particle* events.”

The announcement comes after NASA’s successful Artemis II mission, which saw four astronauts orbit around the moon for the first time since 1972.

THE SPACE RACE CONTINUES
Meanwhile, China has soared ahead with a rival effort to send humans to the moon by 2030.

This week, the Chinese Manned Space Agency (CMSA) launched its crewed Shenzhou-23 spacecraft and eased it into a successful docking with the Tiangong space station*, which is situated in low-Earth orbit.

During this mission, the crew was set to carry out numerous scientific projects in life sciences, materials science, fluid physics* and medicine.

A Chinese astronaut was also scheduled to spend a full year in orbit on the Tiangong space station, a crucial first in the Chinese lunar landing program.

China has significantly expanded its space programs over the last 30 years, pouring billions of dollars into the sector in order to catch up with the US, Russia and Europe.

In 2019, China landed a spacecraft, the Chang’e-4 probe, on the far side of the Moon – a world first.

Then in 2021, it landed a small rover on Mars.

China has been formally excluded from the International Space Station (ISS) since 2011, when the United States banned NASA from collaborating with Beijing, prompting the Asian giant to develop its own space station project.

– With AFP

POLL

GLOSSARY

• leverage: using the resources available to produce greater outcomes
• commercial industry: private companies involved in the space industry
• infrastructure: structures needed to support human life and society, like power grids, water supplies and waste disposal
• lunar terrain vehicles: high tech, unpressurised rovers that astronauts can use to drive on the surface of the moon that can also be remotely operated from Earth
• permanent habitation: lived on permanently by humans
• solar particle: solar particle events are massive bursts of charged particles, strengthened by the sun’s magnetic energy during solar flares. SPEs pose radiation risks to astronauts and satellites
• Tiangong space station: China’s space station, which is permanently crewed and sits in low-Earth orbit
• fluid physics: the study of liquid and gas motion, which can be studied in the near-weightless conditions of space in a way not possible on Earth

EXTRA READING
‘Textbook’ splashdown for Integrity!
Astronauts journey to next frontier
China leaves its mark on far side of moon

QUICK QUIZ
1. On what part of the moon is NASA planning to build a moon base?
2. What is NASA’s priority from now until 2029?
3. What will happen during the second phase of NASA’s moon base plan?
4. When will crew members be sent to live on the lunar surface on rotation?
5. When does China aim to send humans to the moon?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. What does he mean?
Carlos García-Galán talks about “the science of survival” in the story. What do you think this means? Write a detailed definition of this term, with examples from the story and your own ideas.

Time: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science

2. Extension
What would be the purpose of a base on the moon? Use information from the story for clues. Using the clues and your own ideas, write a paragraph explaining why a moon base would be important for the United States.

Time: Spend at least 20 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
What happens next?
Imagine the full story turns out to be in three parts and this article is only Part One. Think about what the rest of the story could be and write the next two parts that tell the rest of this story.

Time: allow 30 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Critical and Creative Thinking