Day 11: My Thoughts On Interesting NASA Articles

          Article links: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090309-robots-moon-base.html
                               http://lunarscience.nasa.gov/articles/robots-may-start-moon-base-construction

          Around two and a half years ago I happened to stumble upon two articles pertaining to one of my biggest fantasies, colonization on other planets. Ever since I was about 6 years of age, I wanted to have humans living on other planets, with the ability to travel and communicate between planets. Actually, I was first inspired by Star Wars because not only was it my favorite movie series, but the colonization of numerous planets in the films was a very cool idea to me, and apparently still is to me to this day.
          Both articles are on the same topic, and they both cover the same materials. In summary, they describe NASA's plan to build a lunar outpost, possibly through the use of robots. Well, yes, this isn't quite colonization, nor will people be permanently living there, but the outpost will be permanently occupied, which is a step in the right direction. In fact, NASA has made it clear that they have intentions of building human housing nearby. The articles both state that a challenge for NASA will be preparing a landing area, because the launchpads would have to protect nearby human habitation, to be built later, from being sandblasted by the spacecraft. In the National Geographic article entitled Robots to Start Moon Base Construction?, written by Tim Hornyak, David Gump, the president of Astrobotic Technology Inc., said," The problem is real, and the question is how NASA will choose to solve it." It seems that NASA has hopes of the moon base being fully operational by 2024. NASA plans to have two remote-controlled robots build the landing site and lunar outpost in less than six months. The robots are supposed to be 330-pounds and the size of a riding lawn mover. The robots' primary mission is to build the launchpad as well as 8.5-feet-high walls around it.
          If this project carries out as planned, it could be a major scientific/technological breakthrough. I very much anticipate this event, and, hopefully, someday, we can colonize other planets.