To the Moon, Mars & Beyond. Canadian Globe & Mail Editorial
A return to the moon is the first step, but both NASA and SpaceX have already laid out plans for even more ambitious missions in the near future.
A return to the moon is the first step, but both NASA and SpaceX have already laid out plans for even more ambitious missions in the near future. NASA envisions using its SLS booster rockets to send several missions to the moon to begin construction of a space station dubbed the Deep Space Gateway; it will orbit the moon and give us a second permanent presence in space, along with the International Space Station. More importantly, it will serve as a launchpad for missions that will take us deeper into space than we've ever been before
TO THE MOON, MARS AND BEYOND
If and when they do reach Mars, astronauts will have a series of important missions to accomplish. First, they will have to unload solar panels to capture energy from the sun. Second, they will have to look for lava tubes and caves carved out by ancient volcanoes to serve as underground bases to shield them from radiation. Third, they will have to mine the ice in the permafrost – the water can be purified for drinking purposes or decomposed into oxygen for breathing and hydrogen for rocket fuel. Fourth, they will have to bring genetically engineered algae and plants that can thrive in the cold atmosphere of Mars, to create a self-sustaining agricultural system.
