The race to the Moon is on again. After America through NASA’s Apollo space program, 12 astronauts have walked on the lunar surface. No other country has sent anyone else there – yet. But now several candidates are in the race. And it is a race. Those who get there first and set up a permanent base may have advantages over others. This does infringe existing treaties, which state that no one owns any part of the Moon. But tell that to the runners. The main countries involved are the United States, China and Russia, with some other countries with it on the drawing board. A few commercial space companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and Boeing with their own plans.
Getting to the Moon is still difficult and potentially dangerous. However, living there on a permanent lunar base brings a lot more problems. Because the Moon has no atmosphere, the dangerous solar particles are not stopped as they are on Earth. Designs for shielded domes are already factored in. They could likely be transported before humans and be constructed by robots using 3D printing of materials. I have seen the designs and models of how they intend to do this, and I was very impressed.
Water is necessary, and it is known that water in ice form exists close to the lunar poles or deep within craters that never see sunlight. Another essential component of living in a new world is power. Since the base will be in darkness for two weeks every month, solar panels will not work. There is no atmosphere, so wind turbines will also not work. Nuclear power is currently the long-term solution. So, NASA are having one designed for the Moon.
Recently, NASA has upped its requirements, from a 30-kilowatt fission reactor to a 100-kilowatt reactor. It is to be ready to fly by 2030. However, all things being equal, astronauts will land on the Moon within several years. The Artemis programme is moving along with the first crews being selected.
The first to build a reactor on the Moon will have an advantage and may set up an exclusion zone. We fight over land on Earth, do we really want to take our prejudices to another world?
John Pullen 