Lunar Living: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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That psychological angle shouldn’t be forgotten. The first inhabitants of a lunar colony are likely to be very small in number – the Russians, for example, plan to start with two people before boosting it to four. These ordinary words have an extraordinary significance: they are thought to be the last words spoken by a human being on the Moon. Interestingly, lunar habitation could extend our knowledge of areas far beyond the Solar System – the Moon has long been regarded as an excellent place to build telescopes to peer out into the distant cosmos. Scenarios like this are fantasy, for now. But it’s one possible way humans could live and work on the Moon. The computers are of a type built for Boeing’s 787 commercial airliner. But they have been toughened up for the rigours of space travel, where G-forces, vibration and radiation can damage delicate hardware. “That’s why we have four sets of flight computers, it’s not because we expect them to burn out through electrical failure. It’s to handle that deep space environment,” Chambers adds.

In addition to the LTV, a pressurized rover will greatly expand lunar surface exploration capabilities to the next level. Pressurization means that astronauts can be in the vehicle in their regular clothing as opposed to wearing their spacesuit inside too. This will provide more comfort to work as they cross the lunar terrain in their mobile habitat and explore large areas. When they’re ready to go outside to collect samples or set up experiments, they would need to put their spacesuits on again.On each new trip, astronauts are going to have an increasing level of comfort with the capabilities to explore and study more of the Moon than ever before,” said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for human spaceflight at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “With more demand for access to the Moon, we are developing the technologies to achieve an unprecedented human and robotic presence 240,000 miles from home. Our experience on the Moon this decade will prepare us for an even greater adventure in the universe – human exploration of Mars.” Where to stay NASA is in the early idea stage for a pressurized rover – formulating concepts and evaluating potential science and exploration rover missions around the South Pole. What to do Have you ever woken up one morning feeling overly emotional or questioning certain areas of your life? Are there days when you feel like your intuition is so strong, it seems like you have all the answers, and everything falls into place almost effortlessly? Or how about the nights you lie awake staring at the ceiling or sudden cravings for solitude and alone time?

NASA will build on the momentum of that human return mission in four years and plans to send crew to the Moon about once per year thereafter. To give astronauts a place to live and work on the Moon, the agency’s Artemis Base Camp concept includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover and even a mobile home. Early missions will include short surface stays, but as the base camp evolves, the goal is to allow crew to stay at the lunar surface for up to two months at a time. Power will be an issue in permanently shadowed craters. One way to get it in is by concentrating sunlight using mirrors mounted on a crater rim. “You take one of those mirrors and actively point it down at your rover,” says John Thornton, chief executive of Astrobotic.

NASA’s Artemis program has sparked excitement around the world and catalyzed new interest in exploring the Moon as the agency prepares to land the first woman and next man on the lunar South Pole in 2024. After that, NASA and its growing list of global partners will establish sustainable exploration by the end of the decade.