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Exploration

Back To The Moon (Again)

By Keith Cowing
NASA Watch
May 25, 2018
Filed under
Back To The Moon (Again)

Commercial Partners Key to Sustainable Moon Presence, NASA
“As NASA shifts human exploration back to the Moon, U.S. commercial partnerships will be a key to expediting missions and building a sustainable presence on the lunar surface. The agency is orchestrating a robotic lunar campaign with a focus on growing commercial base of partnerships and activity that can support U.S. science, technology, and exploration objectives. NASA is planning a series of robotic commercial delivery missions as early as 2019 ahead of a human return to the Moon. These missions will deliver NASA instruments and technology to the surface of the Moon to conduct science and prepare for human exploration. Among the instruments to be flown are the instrumentation suite from the former Resource Prospector mission concept.”

NASA Watch founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.

6 responses to “Back To The Moon (Again)”

  1. Tritium3H says:
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    Here is one of the key technologies that will be critical in supporting a robust and sustained presence on the Moon, and eventually Mars:

    http://www.lanl.gov/discove

    https://www.youtube.com/wat

    • Daniel Woodard says:
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      I agree this is important new space technology. This project has been around for a few years but is making real progress. While it would be useful fo a habitat, it also has application for electrical propulsion beyond the orbit of Mars. Also it breaks with the somewhat tiresome traditon of naming projects with forced acronyms.

  2. Matthew Black says:
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    Hey, Charlie Brown! (NASA) Watch out for Lucy and the ball again… (I sure hope not)

  3. Daniel Woodard says:
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    This is apparently “commercial” as in NASA contracts allowing the provider essentially complete autonomy, similar to the commercial cargo and crew programs, not “commercial” as in private industry paying the bill. Still, it could be a major advance.

    • Paul451 says:
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      CC does not allow “the provider essentially complete autonomy”, unlike COTS and even CRS, it’s been run as a much more traditional hands-on NASA program.

  4. Donald Barker says:
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    And yet again I seek to see where the question of “Why” has been adequately addressed in this “yet again” popularity-dreaming-cycle for future human space flight. Across my career this is roughly the third such cycle and nothing has been accomplished. Why does anyone expect it to be different now, especially when no one has answered the question “Why” with a detailed, sustainable, long-term answer. The selling of the “all magical science” will never be a sufficient impetus. And to go as far as “planning a series of robotic commercial delivery missions” seems to be placing the cart way before the horse. There is a distinct reason we have only been flying circles for the past 45 years, and nothing has happened to change that on any front. In fact, it has probably gotten worse and more difficult.