But as to why we havenât been back, Logsdon says to blame President Richard Nixon. Ultimately, the moon may represent the best chance humanity has of establishing a foothold in space. He said that water could be used for drinking, broken down into hydrogen and oxygen for breathable air, and even converted into rocket fuel. Without the experience of returning to the moon, however, we will not have the engineering, operational, or physiological insight for many decades to either fly to Mars or land there," planetary scientist Harrison "Jack" Schmitt –who as a NASA astronaut was the last person to walk on the moon– wrote in a statement. Here, then, is the case for the moon. "Moreover, human missions have flight systems that allow for enhanced capabilities that are not possible in robotic spacecraft. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! Even NASA has shifted its sights to fresher targets for exploration: an asteroid and Mars. New York, First we'll just squeak by in getting there. "We need to expand the human 'economic sphere' beyond geostationary orbit to the moon," Diamandis said. These are not simple endeavors, and they wouldn't be possible on the shoestring budget of the ISS; they would be to be costly, complicated, and risky, but ultimately beneficialâboth scientifically and culturally. Image: NASA / Neil Armstrong. After Apollo 12 left lunar orbit this image of the moon was taken from the command module on Nov. 24, 1969. "There is a lot of good science that we've only scratched the surface on," said former astronaut Tom Jones, a veteran of four space shuttle flights, who has a doctorate in planetary science. "It would use the moon as a shield against radar noise fromEarth, and of course there's no atmosphere to interfere withobservations," Spudis noted. NASA could practice for the Mars flight by building habitats on the lunar surface and developing techniques there to utilize indigent resources, like water, some argue. "Enriched levelsof iridium had been found at the boundary, but some had said those might havebeen due to volcanic activity. Thank you for signing up to Space. Tons and tons of rock kicked off the planet by meteor impacts may verywell have landed on the moon, carrying secrets not just of the early agesof the Earth but even possibly microbial fossils. He is not the only one immune to a "been there, done that" attitude. First, and most fundamental: the last few decades of space exploration and astronomy have shown that the universe is violent and dangerous, at least with respect to human life. (The six manned moon landings were from 1969 through 1972. In other words, we can accomplish the end state." And it just might replace Florida as a mecca for senior citizens. "The moon is exciting as Alaska was in the 1800s. And those 12 emissaries from Earth – NASA's Apollo astronauts – took their walks about 40 years ago. A Final Word. Scientific research is a key reason to go backâbut there's no clear profit margin. Advertisement. Arguments for human exploration of ⦠But you can retrace the bombardment history of Earth by studying the bombardment history of the moon.". For instance, after the Apollo missions went to the moon, theydiscovered the meteor impacts that pock its surface could leave behind shockedquartz and other chemical and physical signatures. Themoon also serves as a window "into the distant past of all the terrestrialplanets ? It's a 'snap!' Returning to the moon and staying will once again be a triumph of human ingenuity. Their reasons range from: furthering scientific research, to exploring the cosmos for funsies, to saving humanity from, uh, something. One of the primary activities the global space community pursued in 2006 was to answer the questions, "Why should we return to the moon?" Getting the answers to these questions and others could depend on sending people, rather than just robots, to the lunar surface. While many scientists think the moon was created when a Mars-size space rock slammed into Earth and knocked off a piece of it, the details need to be worked out, and other scientists dispute that explanation. Astronauts can perform geological exploration and complex scientific research far better than robotic systems.". Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! The Lunar Module (LM) is on the left, and the footprints of the astronauts are clearly visible in the soil of the moon. © "It has resources for exploration, and some we need here on Earth," said Tim Pickens, leader of the Alabama Rocket City Space Pioneers, a team competing for the Google Lunar X Prize. For instance, in the years since men first walked on the moon, orbiting satellites have revealed evidence that its surface contains hidden reserves of water. Please refresh the page and try again. ), "There's a special place in people's hearts for the moon," said Eric Anderson, president and chief executive of the Virginia space tourism firm Space Adventures. That would improve the prospects for a livable and sustainable stay on Mars.
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