This image of the moon was obtained by ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst from the ISS during the Horizon mission. But he is not the only one who is now observing the earthly satellite.
From July 3 to July 5, ESA held a seminar on moon exploration in its technical center in the Netherlands. Based on the agency’s commitment to sustainable research, the workshop brought together experts in space and industry to discuss lunar resources and the return of man to the satellite.
In order for a person to live and work on the Moon (also outside of it), oxygen, water, fuel and materials are needed to create habitats and equipment. The launch of such bulky consumables is calculated in large amounts of money and energy. Because of this, the human study of the solar system is still unstable. Instead, ESA is exploring the possibilities for using lunar resources to return a person to a satellite. That is, the astronauts will be able to produce the necessary items already in place from improvised means. Last year, it was proposed to conduct a test for a period of 1 year.
At this seminar, they continued discussions with experts to understand the technological readiness, commercial viability, legal status and international context on the use of lunar resources.
While we successfully entrenched on the ISS, adding functionality to possible future robots and artificial intelligence. Perhaps soon we will occupy a new location.
