The space agency Nasa yesterday unveiled plans to build a permanent base on the moon within 20 years that will allow humans to live there. The base will be used as a launching site for missions to Mars, as well as for analysis of the Earth from space.
"We're going for a base on the moon," said Scott Horowitz, Nasa associate administrator for exploration, at a press briefing in which he detailed plans for the first permanent human presence on an extraterrestrial body, 50 years after Apollo astronauts walked on the moon.
Nasa's announcement is the latest step in the space agency's plans to fulfil President George Bush's challenge to explore space. In 2004 he called for a return to the moon, followed by Mars expeditions. Last year Nasa gave details of the spacecraft it plans to use in the missions. The Orion exploration vehicle, shaped like the Apollo space capsules last used in 1972 but three times larger, will replace the space shuttle, while the two new Ares I rockets will blast the astronauts and equipment separately into space.
The exact design of the base has not yet been mapped out but Nasa outlined scientific goals for the moon missions. The missions will, among other things, measure cosmic rays, hunt for exotic subatomic particles in space and look for asteroids on a collision course with Earth. A moon base could also be used as a platform for monitoring the Earth's oceans and ice caps.
Nasa officials said that the return to the moon would begin with robotic reconnaissance trips that would look for potential landing sites and areas with good natural resources.
By 2020 four-person crews will make week-long trips while power supplies, rovers and living quarters are built on the lunar surface. Once the base is completed in the mid-2020s astronauts will stay for up to six months at a time to prepare for longer journeys to Mars. By the end of the decade pressurised roving vehicles could take people on long exploratory trips across the lunar surface.
The moon's polar regions are Nasa's preferred landing sites because the temperature is moderate and there are longer periods of sunlight - critical for the solar-powered technologies planned by the space agency. Nasa said that nuclear power could eventually be used instead. The poles are also thought to be rich in resources such as hydrogen and ice, which could be used to support life. "It's exciting, we don't know as much about the polar regions," said Shana Dale, Nasa's deputy administrator.
Space station
Although Nasa gave no details of how much the moon base would cost, it is expected that the agency will fund its plans from its fixed budget of $16bn (£8.1bn) a year. Ms Dale said that once the space shuttle was retired in 2010 Nasa would also scale back its involvement in the International Space Station. Any savings would be directed towards the lunar programme.
"The architecture work has resulted in an understanding of what is required to implement and enable critical exploration objectives," said Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator of Nasa's exploration systems directorate. "This is all important as we ... better define the architecture and our various exploration roles in what is a very exciting future for the United States and the world."
Nasa's ideas are controversial: the lunar exploration plans have been criticised by many scientists for being too costly and at the mercy of political whims. If the climate turned against the agency at any point, many argue, the whole project could be scrapped.
To spread the risk Nasa has left room for other countries to get involved. It canvassed the thoughts of more than 1,000 people from space technology companies, non-governmental organisations, and more than a dozen international space agencies. Nasa will look for partners from the European Space Agency, India, China, Russia and South Korea to share the cost of developing components such as power systems and lunar living quarters.
"This strategy will enable interested nations to leverage their capabilities and financial and technical contributions, making optimum use of globally available knowledge and resources to help energise a coordinated effort that will propel us into this new age of discovery and exploration," said Ms Dale.
The science minister, Malcolm Wicks, had discussions last week with the Nasa administrator, Mike Griffin. He said that collaborations between Nasa and Britain's small satellite industry could have strong commercial returns. "This could be the world's largest science and technology programme," he said. "We will be considering whether there is an opportunity to build a partnership with the US. We want UK businesses and scientists to benefit from this programme."
From sci-fi to sci-fact
If Nasa's plan comes off, the sci-fi dream could become a reality by around 2025. Look around and there are many devices that were once the stuff of futuristic movies:
· Set for stun Police forces around the world now use stun guns to incapacitate suspects without killing them
· Talking computers No sci-fi spaceship was complete without one. Talking SatNavs are commonplace
And some things we're waiting for ...
· Personal rocket pack These have been built but they are still exceedingly dangerous and consume vast amounts of fuel
· Teleportation Unfortunately, there's no end in sight for the morning commute any time soon