La Luna - the natural satellite of Earth - is the only solar system body has visited the man. On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy, delivered before the U.S. Congress the following words: "I believe this nation must set the goal, before this decade is over, the man walked on the moon and return safely to Earth." Eight years later, on July 20, 1969, millions of people glued to television, seen as two astronauts, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Buzz Aldrin, tread the soil of the moon. But this picture alone was repeated five times. In 1972 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) decided to end human spaceflight to the moon. Since then no man has returned to that place.
© 2008 Juan Miguel Suay Belenguer. Source NASA. (Click image to enlarge) The January 14, 2004, U.S. President George W. Bush, in a speech at NASA's offices in Washington, emulating his predecessor, has the Vision for Space Exploration (VSE). With this designation establishes the objectives of NASA for the next decades, the most important to return to manned missions to the moon as a first step to get to Mars. Must "develop and test a new spacecraft, a Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) by 2008, and conduct the first manned mission no later than 2014," says Bush. This new vehicle has two purposes, to replace the current Space Shuttle and Space Station Shuttle and "carry astronauts beyond our orbit to other worlds," concluded the President.
A constellation of spacecraft to the Moon
On September 19, 2005, the general manager of the NASA Michael Griffin told a news conference presented the document Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS). This technical report, nearly 800 pages, studying the feasibility and the components needed to return to the moon. "It can be considered a continuation of the Apollo project that put man on the moon in 1969, and the current space shuttle, whose latest mission is expected in 2010" specifies the Administrator Griffin at the launch of the ESAS.
The new challenge for NASA, started in 2006, is known as Constellation Program. The main elements can be seen in its official website ( click here ). The development program consists of two launch, the Ares I and Ares V designed to put into orbit the Orion crew exploration vehicle and the Altair lunar lander. To encourage these two ships to the moon also needs what is known as output stage of Earth's orbit (EDS).
To take advantage of technology and components, Web site says the General Director Jeff Hanley Constellation Program, "the Ares I rocket launcher has the drive's solid current space shuttle, this brings up installing a second equipped with a motor phase "similar to that used in the missions of the years 60 "Hanley said. Located above the Orion manned spacecraft, similar to the Apollo project, "but three times bigger, so you have room for four astronauts" said Program Director.
The Orion Program Associate Director Skip Hatfield, is convinced that "the system will be ten times safer than the current", and found that the cockpit crew atop the Ares I, "does not suffer any damage caused by components released during takeoff, a circumstance that caused the explosion of the Columbia on its return to Earth on February 1, 2003 "recalls Hatfiel, also in the case of an accident, "the Orion capsule with an exhaust system that is activated when any trouble during the launch." Skip Hatfield
also recognizes that "the return home will also be a journey to the past", as the capsule of the astronauts' return to earth protected by a thick heat shield and brake his descent with large parachutes and airbags, in addition "The capsule will fall on earth and not at sea, such as the Apollo project," said Hatfiel. The difference we find that the dish "may be used up to ten times, once replaced the heat shield" concludes the director the project.
The other rocket, the Ares V, will be used to orbit the Altair lunar lander with the output stage of Earth's orbit (EDS). In order to lift this burden, says the shuttle Program Manager John F. Ares Connolly, the spacecraft has two solid fuel rockets like the ferries capable of launching up to 125 tons of payload. Once in orbit the Altair and the ADS will join the Orion spacecraft to begin its journey to the moon.
A Full Moon of 181 possibilities
This new challenge, unlike what happened in the sixties, does not have the unanimous support of the American scientific community. The professor of the University of Maryland and director of the American Physical Society Robert L. Park, believes that space exploration is much more expensive and risky than unmanned probes, and that "a lot less money generate large amounts of scientific information." Park has been an ardent critic of the International Space Station (ISS).
To try to silence this criticism, in April 2006, NASA's chief administrator Michael Griffin, began a series of contacts with representatives of space agencies from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Great Britain , India, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Ukraine and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Head of Strategic Development Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Jeff Volosin, recognizes that since the end of the Apollo program, "people around the world have been thinking back to the moon, and what they want to do there" as NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon again, we decided at this meeting "refers to more than a thousand people in the business world, academia and the thirteen international space agencies," the result "a list of 181 things that can be do in the Moon "announces Volosin.
of Applied Physics Physicist Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland (USA), Paul D. Spudis, says that NASA has spent more than fifty years devoted to space exploration, but "there is still something we do not know: what is the best way to explore a planet?" Spudis wonders. In view of this physical, "the Moon could be used as a school workshop where they test new techniques for planetary exploration," in addition to being a "privileged observatory or laboratory biology, physics, chemistry or ecology," says Spudis.
However, basic scientific research represents only a third of these 181 objectives, more than half of the list are to find solutions to the challenges of learning to live in a world hostile to protect astronauts from radiation or micrometeors to establish systems for power generation, or grow food in the arid lunar soil, devoid of atmosphere. According to the director of the Lunar Architecture Team at NASA's Marshall Center Tony Lavoie. "We want to learn to live off the land and not depend so much on supplies from Earth."
The moon could also accommodate some commercial initiatives. The commercial director of the office of the Commercial Crew & Cargo Program at NASA, noted that Alan Lindenmoyer in our satellite can "generate and sell energy from solar cells, protected data store files, mining, industrial processes or to make low gravity and high vacuum", among others. It also ensures Lindenmoyer, "the tourist development and advertising of the Moon is a new opportunity" could be "tours to historical sites of our satellite, as the site of the first moon landing" or place a remote controlled robot on the lunar surface. The people on Earth could "pay to take turns controlling the robot via the Internet, allowing it to take a virtual tour of the area lunar "said commercial director.
