Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Nov 17, 2006 0:28:54 GMT -6
NASA Weighs U.S. Strategy for Moon Exploration
NASA is set to roll out next month a U.S. national strategy for lunar exploration, one that outlines both robotic exploration needs and the rationale for sending humans back to the Moon.
The space agency plan is a key component in the response to U.S. President George W. Bush’s Vision for Space Exploration – a call to action that he sketched out in early 2004.
That far-reaching, big picture White House agenda included as a goal the return of humans to the Moon’s surface by 2020 - as the launching point for missions beyond. Also, starting no later than 2008, a series of robotic missions would be dispatched to the lunar surface to research and prepare for future human exploration.
More here: space.com/businesstechnology/061115_techwed_moonplans.html
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We keep reading that Lunar soil could be converted to oxygen and water for astronaut sustainability, but I don't hear of the process here on Earth on a regular basis.
How easy is this conversion process? Not too easy I'm sure.