NASA: Before 2030, people will live on the moon

The last NASA astronaut Eugene Cernan left the moon in December 1972, but NASA is coming back. And how. A lunar base will even be established on our companion.

Long-duration lunar missions

The previous visits to the moon lasted no longer than a few days at the most. Now things are changing, and preparations are being made to build a viable base, said Howard Hu, the leader of NASA’s Orion program. Long-duration missions should be a reality before 2030, says Hu. Before 2030, he said, humans would certainly be working on the moon for “a long time,” living in habitats and using rovers to get around. However, it remains unclear which period Hu specifically referred to.

The advantage of long-term missions is that larger projects can also be carried out, such as the construction of a space base, the start of a colony or the construction of telescopes. The objective of the first mission will be scientific in nature.

Lack of water now solved

The moon, compared to the rest of the solar system, is very close to the earth. The moon does have some tricky challenges that we must solve before a viable colony can be built. The two most important are that there is almost no water on the moon and that bone decalcification can occur due to the low gravity.

After the discovery of ice on the south pole of the moon in Shackleton crater, the chances for a successful colony on the moon increased considerably. Then it is no longer necessary to take water with you from the earth. It is likely that astronauts staying on the moon for extended periods of time will sleep under artificial gravity. This can be achieved, for example, by a large centrifuge.

Artemis III

Astronauts will not return to the moon until the third mission, Artemis III. This will take place around 2025. The first two missions will be unmanned. The Americans, who work together with the European and Japanese space agencies, are not the only ones with plans for a space base on the moon. Russia and China also want to jointly set up a space base on the moon.

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