Moon economy, It seems like a distant concept to have its own supply chain, but The foundation is already here. It will build scientific infrastructure on its surface around the use of the moon’s natural resources and develop the capabilities of future space exploration (the moon is a Potential spaceport For more distant destinations, e.g. Mars).
There are many countries and companies competing for this new lunar gold rush. These include Firefly Aerospace, a private space company based in Texas. It launched on January 15, Blue Ghost 1 Mission just demonstrated the first phase of the delivery system between Earth and Earth moon look like.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lander is currently on the moon’s surface. To complete the task, the module must enter orbit, bringing the controlled drop to Mare Crisium (Mare Crisium) (a large basin in the northern hemisphere of the Moon) to avoid extreme conditions, deploy its scientific equipment, and perform environmental readings and self-drilling and conducting. Independent drilling and Reggins extraction.
The task is NASA’s Commercial lunar payload service (CLPS) initiative, under the program, the Space Administration is awarding contracts to companies to resolve space exploration issues. NASA focuses on sending astronauts back to the moon Artemis Plan, but it is the private company that will send out supplies and bring back samples collected by the crew.
Before Earth can be built-in a few months of delivery of the system, companies must demonstrate their technological ability to place technology on the moon’s surface. Blue Ghost will face its decisive tests on March 2, when it will land on the moon.
This module carries 10 experiments. Most notably is a computer that measures the resistance of circuits to space radiation and a special camera used to study floating rock phenomena – dust particles suspended in suspension above the moon’s surface. The lander will also be photographed by the mission, where the moon falls into the shadow of the earth and thus blocks the sun.
Before the moment of descent, NASA shared some images of landers manipulating into moon tracks.
The South Pole of the Moon, captured by the camera on Blue Ghost 1.Photo: Firefly Aerospace/NASA
The future lunar economy
Among the lunar materials that can be utilized, helium 3 attracted the greatest interest: it has the potential fuel for nuclear fusion – in Earth and in space – in quantum computing and medical imaging. A stable helium isotope with two protons and one neutron, helium 3 will not appear naturally on Earth. Nuclear weapons testing, nuclear reactors and radioactive attenuation produce limited amounts, and isotope prices are high.
However, it is produced by a fusion in the sunlight and blown out on the solar system by the solar wind. The Earth’s magnetosphere deflects these helium-3 particles from our planets, but on the moon, since there is no magnetosphere, it is believed that isotopes may accumulate on rock stones. A startup company It is recommended to dig it for this On the moon.
It can also be studied to use the reaction between minerals and water from the moon’s surface to produce oxygen and hydrogen, which can be used in rocket propellants.
The ongoing human existence on the moon may require more services, and Moon Road,,,,, railwayand concrete have been proposed. Any of these will start with CLPS missions like Blue Ghost. Like the image above – images of landers entering the moon’s orbit to build a delivery system in space will become commonplace in the next few years.
This story originally appeared in Wired enespañol and has been translated into Spanish.
