I have been a harsh critic of President Bush’s plan to return to the moon because it would be superfluous, redundant, and expensive—and, most importantly, it would steal money away from the spectacular scientific research already underway at NASA via unmanned probes and orbital telescopes.
However, NASA’s new plan to establish a permanent, self-sustaining base on the moon is finally a brilliant, inspirational strategy that will serve to usher in a new era of space exploration and settlement.
The key word is "settlement." This represents a major leap forward for our species.
Unveiled on Monday, the plan for the international moon base calls for a permanent staff of astronauts to be living there by 2024. According to the AP:
It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space shuttles are retired in 2010.
The moon base will serve two purposes vital to humanity’s future. First, it will test and demonstrate the technology necessary to create a permanent settlement on another planet. Second, it will serve as a launching station for future manned and unmanned missions to other planets. Launching spacecraft from the moon is much easier than launching them from Earth because our planet’s gravity is hard to escape.
Rather than serving as an unnecessary repetition of previous accomplishments, a permanent moon base would be a stepping stone to our future in space. We will be laying the groundwork for future generations to colonize other planets and other star systems.
NASA’s announcement of a permanent moon base may be overshadowed by another announcement expected later today of recent changes in the landscape of Mars that are apparently caused by running water within the past few years. Just take a look at this photo.
The existence of liquid water flowing on the surface of Mars introduces two incredibile possibilities: 1. A human colony on Mars could be much easier than previously imagined. 2. Active microbial life may still exist in the water or the wet soil.
We’ll have to wait and see what NASA says about that later today. In the meantime, let me remind you of Stephen Hawking’s latest message to his fellow humans:
Mankind will need to venture far beyond planet Earth to ensure the long-term survival of our species, according to the world's best known scientist, Professor Stephen Hawking.