This is exactly my main reason for suggesting we should stay within the Earth Moon system for at least a fair number of years after we achieve the capability to return to the Moon. Not just for medical evacuation. Also for engineering emergencies such as for Apollo 13.
With the ISS, then we have a "lifeboat" permanently attached to the station in the form of a Soyuz TMA able to return the astronauts to Earth if any issues arise that can't be solved.
We could do the same on the Moon, could have a lunar module type small spaceship next to the habitats, able to return to Earth within a day or two. And the same also with the L1 and L2 positions.
And there is much to explore on the Moon. We have barely started on surface exploration, just know a few sites, and those, not well, with 1960s / 70s technology. No ground truth at all about the ice deposits, about the far side, higher lattitudes, caves, or the ground to any depth.
We could explore it from Earth via telepresence, because it is close enough to make that feasible. Also from habitats on the Moon, and stations at L1 and L2 positions.
For stations on or near the Moon - then we want to develop similar capabilities to those needed for interplanetary missions. Until we can have habitats that can stay self sufficient for years on end, then it's going to be hugely expensive to maintain a presence on the Moon, requiring ISS type supply missions every few months. And going to be even more expensive, and also dangerous, to go anywhere more than a few weeks travel time from the Earth.
So that's a capability we can develop on the Moon, or indeed in LEO also, if we make it a top priority - technology to stay alive and healthy for years on end without resupply from Earth every three months or so as we do now. If we can't do that yet on the Moon or in LEO what chance do we have of doing it further afield?.
Once we show that we can send humans to the Moon or to L1 or L2 for a couple of years at a time, reliably, then we could think about possibly sending them further afield.
But it also takes quite a few preliminary missions before we will be confident in our technology. I'd be surprised myself if we are ready to do interplanetary missions in less than a decade after a return to the Moon.
With the ISS, then we have a "lifeboat" permanently attached to the station in the form of a Soyuz TMA able to return the astronauts to Earth if any issues arise that can't be solved.
We could do the same on the Moon, could have a lunar module type small spaceship next to the habitats, able to return to Earth within a day or two. And the same also with the L1 and L2 positions.
And there is much to explore on the Moon. We have barely started on surface exploration, just know a few sites, and those, not well, with 1960s / 70s technology. No ground truth at all about the ice deposits, about the far side, higher lattitudes, caves, or the ground to any depth.
We could explore it from Earth via telepresence, because it is close enough to make that feasible. Also from habitats on the Moon, and stations at L1 and L2 positions.
For stations on or near the Moon - then we want to develop similar capabilities to those needed for interplanetary missions. Until we can have habitats that can stay self sufficient for years on end, then it's going to be hugely expensive to maintain a presence on the Moon, requiring ISS type supply missions every few months. And going to be even more expensive, and also dangerous, to go anywhere more than a few weeks travel time from the Earth.
So that's a capability we can develop on the Moon, or indeed in LEO also, if we make it a top priority - technology to stay alive and healthy for years on end without resupply from Earth every three months or so as we do now. If we can't do that yet on the Moon or in LEO what chance do we have of doing it further afield?.
Once we show that we can send humans to the Moon or to L1 or L2 for a couple of years at a time, reliably, then we could think about possibly sending them further afield.
But it also takes quite a few preliminary missions before we will be confident in our technology. I'd be surprised myself if we are ready to do interplanetary missions in less than a decade after a return to the Moon.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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