We are in a time of wonder, why not reach for the stars?
When mankind first went to the moon, the brave space pioneers looked down on our planet showing we have the potential to achieve everything. Since then twenty four (1) astronauts have landed on the moon and artificial satellites now orbit almost every planet in our solar system. In this article I will explain how we are planning to go to the moon with the Artemis mission and the ILRS(International Lunar Research Station). We will also visit how this will change the economy. In addition to this we will look at why we should have a long term presence on the moon and how we are going to do it
Why the moon?
(1). Zelazko, Alicja. "How Many People Have Been to the Moon?". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Jul. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/story/how-many-people-have-been-to-the-moon. Accessed 6 February 2024.
(2). Hautaluoma, Grey, et al. “NASA Defines Science Priorities for First Crewed Artemis Landing on Moon.” NASA, NASA, 8 Jan. 2024, www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-defines-science-priorities-for-first-crewed-artemis-landing-on-moon
(3). Dunbar, Brian. “Https://Www.Nasa.Gov/Wp-Content/Uploads/Static/Artemis/NASA: Artemis.” NASA, NASA, www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/#:~:text=With%20Artemis%20missions,%20NASA%20will,term%20pr esence%20on%20the%20Moon. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024.
(4). Hambleton, Kathryn, and Rachel Kraft. “NASA Shares Progress toward Early Artemis Moon Missions with Crew.” NASA, NASA, 11 Jan. 2024, www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-shares-progress-toward-early-artemis-moon-missions-with-crew/#: ~:text=NASA%20will%20now%20target%20September,remains%20on%20track%20for%202028.
(5). Strauss, Mark. “Miners on the Moon.” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Aug. 2020, www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/moons-gold-180975327/#:~:text=Those%20dark,%20 frozen%20places%20beckon,moon,%20Mars,%20and%20beyond.
(6).Timesofindia.com. “Lachesis.” The Times of India, Times of India, 20 Dec. 2023, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/these-are-the-most-valuable-asteroids-in-our-solar-system/ photostory/106154878.cms?picid=106154893.
Before going to the moon we must ask the question “why should we invest billions in something that doesn’t even affect our planet?” This is pondering at another important question which is: “what are going to get out of it” Well, we can start off by saying that the scientific discoveries will be out of this world- literally, such as field experiments and surveys, sampling , and ground backing inventions (2) that will benefit us on earth, unfortunately the specific benefits are unknown until we actually go there ourselves, however, we already know that space is a sand box for rare resources such as: Gold, iron and cobalt there is also all of the possible resources from every corner of the solar system arriving in the form of asteroids, which means that we would also be able to mine the asteroids instead of the lunar surface as a result we would keep a sustainable relationship with the moon without exploiting it for resources rendering it in a poor state for further research but don’t worry we will talk about this later in the article when we look at the space economy. Other than that, building a long term presence on the moon Is proof that we can live on other planets and is important if we want to keep on track towards going to mars in the 2030s so that we can have more missions and a stronger connection with it as a result it would be more likely to thrive. So, “what are we going to get out of it”? In conclusion we would get tons of unlimited resources, new technology, and a bench point for further space exploration, So yes, actually it will affect our planet, and hopefully in a good way.
How are we getting there?
There are many companies and countries that want to get to the moon but the 2 big ones are the Artemis missions, According to NASA.gov are going to send 5 astronauts including the first woman and person colour ever, to land on the moon (3) . The Artemis program is a group effort of 34 countries that hopes to launch around 2025-2026 (4) .On the other side of the world working at about the same pace, lead by China and is a group effort between Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Belarus, Egypt with the hope to build a long term presence on the moon by the 2030s. keep in mind that other companies are looking to send flights to the moon. A few notable ones would be Blue origins, Astrobotic and Axiom space. In my opinion a few decades from now people will be building permanent structures to house business meetings, they will no longer rely upon earth’s support and might even start sending resources back to earth to make it more comfortable for us to live on earth and who knows, in the future the first humans could potentially be born on the moon possibly making the moon a “country” or what not. Once they get there NASA plans to harvest the lunar ice (5) turning it into water which will be crucial if they want to continue to build a colony once you have water you can grow plants which then enables the position were they can get nutrients from actual fresh produce instead of blended food in compressed bags which they have started doing at the ISS which was a game changer. In theory you could also use it as a source of hydro energy. There is so much more to this and I am frankly just scratching the surface of what it could possibly mean for further development in space exploration, and of course, we don’t know anything for sure before we actually do it.
How will this change our economy
One thing that is definitely going to affect the world's economy of the future is- funny enough, out of this world. Earlier in the article I mentioned asteroid mining which is a sustainable and cost efficient way to mine outer space without destroying anything important such as research areas, planets, or satellites, in fact it is thought that the most costly asteroid (Davida) Is estimated to obtain $26.99 quintillion in resources (6) . This could mean 2 things: one, it could have many useful and vital resources which in that case means that we could better help other less fortunate communities, or tow: the asteroid could be filled with diamonds for example, which would lower its cost because of its large amounts but there is good news! Thousands of asteroids hit the moon every year so the possibilities are endless. For instance a meteor from the other side of the solar system finds its way to the moon, then we mine it discovering that it obtained an energy powerful enough to power a full country. This could solve our energy crisis! Thank you for reading this article and I hope it has taught you something new about what’s in store for the future and how it could change the world.
