A much wider range of rock and soil samples could be collected, analysed (and, if necessary, shipped to Earth), and the base would support implementation of complex exploratory activities such as subsurface drilling. Having humans operating on the lunar surface would enable much better access to this record, especially if supported by a scientific infrastructure such as that envisaged for the Moon village. Planetary scienceĪs discussed by Crawford & Joy (2014), the lunar geological record still has much to tell us about the earliest history of the solar system, the origin and evolution of the Earth–Moon system, the geological evolution of rocky planets, and the near-Earth cosmic environment throughout solar system history. With these caveats in mind, we here address the major areas of science that would benefit from the scientific infrastructure represented by a Moon village. Moreover, in the fullness of time, just as in Antarctica today, we might envisage multiple such outposts at different locations. Nevertheless, the kind of transportation and other infrastructure required to establish a Moon village would likely facilitate human and robotic operations at locations that may not be local to the village itself. For example, science questions related to the lunar poles would clearly benefit more from a polar Moon village than an equatorial one. Some of the scientific areas discussed below are more dependent on these factors than others. The extent to which different scientific fields would benefit from a lunar outpost would, in part, depend on its location and on the length of time for which it is occupied. Lunar research stations will fulfil the same function on the Moon. astronomy, atmospheric science, biology, glaciology, geology, magnetospheric physics, meteoritics and zoology) on the Antarctic continent that would be difficult or impossible to sustain otherwise. Such outposts provide a scientific infrastructure that supports research in multiple disciplines (e.g. The Amundsen–Scott research station at Earth's South Pole.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |