Human bases built on other planets is a routine happening – at least as far as the realm of science fiction is concerned. But so far, there hasn’t been a real base put out there in a heavenly body by our race. That is about to change, though.
NASA has unveiled its ambition of building a base on the moon. This is not the first time someone has come up with such an ambitious plan. Space agencies of both Japan and Russia have articulated similar plans in the past. So far, none of these plans have materialized.
NASA doesn’t exactly have plans of constructing a base on the moon – rather, it will have a kind of ‘gateway spacecraft’ stationed in the orbit above the far side of the moon. It will host a small team of astronauts and will serve as the launch-base for any future missions to Mars or the moon.
The position of the spacecraft would be such that the effects of gravity will be minimal on it. This would ensure that it makes use of minimum amounts of fuel. The agency hopes that if all goes well, the ‘base’ can be launched for a test flight by 2017. Before that, the agency has to furnish billions of dollars to make the project possible.