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from the Mike-and-Manny-and-Wyo-say-"Hi!" dept.
https://phys.org/news/2017-09-moon-lunar-village.html (AFP)
By 2040, a hundred people will live on the Moon, melting ice for water, 3D-printing homes and tools, eating plants grown in lunar soil, and competing in low-gravity, "flying" sports.
To those who mock such talk as science fiction, experts such as Bernard Foing, ambassador of the European Space Agency-driven "Moon Village" scheme, reply the goal is not only reasonable but feasible too.
At a European Planetary Science Congress in Riga this week, Foing spelt out how humanity could gain a permanent foothold on Earth's satellite, and then expand.
He likened it to the growth of the railways, when villages grew around train stations, followed by businesses.
By 2030, there could be an initial lunar settlement of six to 10 pioneers—scientists, technicians and engineers—which could grow to 100 by 2040, he predicted.
"In 2050, you could have a thousand and then... naturally you could envisage to have family" joining crews there, Foing told AFP .
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 27 2017, @04:39AM (2 children)
Not sure what you mean by that. You aren't blissfully going to escape the Solar System with a little boost and go. As I recall, it takes about as much delta v in Earth orbit to escape the Solar System (and the pull of the massive Sun) as it does to get to Earth orbit from the surface (hence the Heinlein saying that low Earth orbit is halfway to anywhere). But on the other hand, you don't need to expend propellant to fight against the Sun's gravity since you're already moving in an orbit that does all the fighting for you.
(Score: 2) by Lester on Wednesday September 27 2017, @01:34PM (1 child)
If you are moving from one planet to other means changing of orbit and need fuel. And I suppose that rockets will not only move from Moon to Earth
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday September 27 2017, @07:50PM