European Space Agency Plans To Construct A 'Moon Village' By 2030

First Posted: May 04, 2016 04:40 AM EDT
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The European Space Agency recently announced its plan to make a Moon base that would replace the International Space Station by 2030. Johann Woerner, the ESA Director General, calls it the "Moon Village."

This would be a collaborative project among spacefaring nations that involve the United States, China and Russia. Woerner said that they should go first to the moon and there further on...he would not call Mars the ultimate goal but he is quite sure humans will go further, according to Tech Times.

He further explained that in the Moon Village they would like to combine the capabilities of different spacefaring nations, with the aid of astronauts and robots. The partakers can go to work in a different field, perhaps conducting pure science and even business ventures like tourism or mining.

The ESA's idea was guaranteed last month at a conference, which is entitled "Moon 2020-2030-A New Era of Coordinated Human and Robotic Exploration" in Netherlands. It was attended by 200 scientists and experts, who planned and discussed the technologies, missions and projects for the next decade.

The moon's soil will be used to build a protective shell around the dome. This will shield the astronauts from the harmful background radiation. ESA plans to send robots as early as 2020 to construct different facilities, according to Science Alert. Then, it would be followed a few years later by the occupants.

In 2013, ESA partnered with some building companies to test out different moon base-building technologies. They recognized that local materials could be used for constructing buildings and edifices. This means there is no need to convey resources from the Earth.

NASA's Kathy Laurini and one of the conference attendees said that ESA space exploration strategy sets the moon as the priority destination for human on the way to Mars, and the recent talk of a "Moon Village" certainly has generated a lot of positive energy in Europe. She further said that the timing is right to get started on the capabilities which allow Europe to meet its exploration objectives and ensure Europe remains a strong partner as humans begin to explore the Solar System.

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