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In 1984, with the Space Shuttle in service, a team based at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) made a feasibility study for NASA's return to the Moon.It anticipated later studies in using NASA's planned infrastructure – the Shuttle, a Shuttle-derived heavy lift vehicle, a space station, and an orbital transfer vehicle – to build a permanent 18-crew Moon base sometime between 2005 and 2015.
A moonbase (or lunar base) is a human outpost on or below the surface of the Moon. [1] More than a mere site of activity or temporary camp, moonbases are extraterrestrial bases, supporting robotic or human activity, by providing surface infrastructure.
Some proposals suggest to build a lunar base on the surface using modules brought from Earth, and covering them with lunar soil. The lunar soil is composed of a blend of silica and iron-containing compounds that may be fused into a glass-like solid using microwave radiation. [91] [92]
Any base on the moon would need very thick walls.
NASA and the European Space Agency are planning a series of lunar missions using tiny 'CubeSats' to map the moon for resources.
An artist impression of a moon base (ESA/P Carril) After being selected for the Lunar Architecture Capability Study (LunA-10), Northrop Grumman will now work towards building a prototype of a ...
Zubrin also stated, "If the goal is to build a Moon base, it should be built on the surface of the Moon. That is where the science is, that is where the shielding material is, and that is where the resources to make propellant and other useful things are to be found". [108]
Lunar lava tubes are a potential location for constructing a lunar base. Any intact lava tube on the Moon could serve as a shelter from the severe environment of the lunar surface, with its frequent meteorite impacts, high-energy ultra-violet radiation and energetic particles, and extreme diurnal temperature variations. Lava tubes provide ideal ...