ARE WE THERE YET? The Hope For Moon Missions and Our Future.

Subsurface Lunar Research Station

The next step in any joint venture space programs is, in my opinion, the move toward creating what the Moon Society has defined as the International Lunar Research Park. The image on the left is just one example of artists concepts of what a long-term lunar base will look like.Until we have a better confirmation on what amount of water there really is and where it is on the Moon, we won't really know what the Moon Base will shape up to be.

What does matter right now, particularly since NASA has been required to delay or even set aside any lunar mission, is that we begin to consider an international program, including NASA, that may succeed in a more recent return to the Moon.

There have been many, brief exploratory visits to the Moon, including NASA's famed and successful Apollo program. Smattering amounts of data have been collected, but considering that all efforts have been limited in both scope and duration, it's considered that the data remains incomplete and potentially inconclusive. This data limitation also should include any current reports on the actual presence of water on the Moon and its whereabouts.In essence we are presently in what we could call and educated-guess stage of lunar exploration.

As we have stated in previous issues of this blog, the United Nations' Open Space Treaty precludes any one nation from making national claims on the Moon or any other planetary body in our solar system. It is, therefore, wise to consider a joint Moon exploration program that represents international interests and essentially conforms to the plan submitted by the Moon Society. The challenging issue remains as: how do we get together and get started on devising an international lunar program?  The leaders of Earth's nations remain egocentric and thus mold their citizens into national egocentricity. What will it take to break the ice and bring us together?

The basic premises that produced the agreements and cooperation that has resulted in the International Space Station should be our startup roadmap  It is essential that those nations that support the ISS should be the ones to kick off an international lunar research program. Do we only consider that because a limited assay of the lunar material brought back by the Apollo program indicates the Moon is dry? Can we be sure, or do we initiate further LCROSS type research and clearly establish the presence of water? Most importantly, do we just sit around and argue about it or do we do something to substantiate whether there is either water or the chemical substances that will support water formation on the Moon?

Individual nations are going to be sending more spacecraft to the Moon.This is, in our opinion, a gross waste of time and resources governed by that national egocentricity. There is just no room in our investigations of our solar system for that type of thinking or political autonomy. The Moon Base program can be a breakthrough move to further the unique international cooperation that is represented by the ISS. The opportunity and challenge awaits us.Are we mature enough, internationally, to move forward in this respect? Do we realize the setbacks we will experience as a civilization if we do not? Do our respective leaders care? Do we care?

Again it comes down to whether we as a civilization place more value on warfare rather than spacefaring.Our future and our continuation as one of the universe's existing civilizations depends on our ability to make this vital shift. Oh, by the way, it also produces world peace.

So, are we there yet?


CREDIT:
The above image of a sub-surface Moon Base comes from Out of the Cradle and the Lunar Library LLC. You are encouraged to go here to learn about this organization's "25 Good Reasons To Go To The Moon"