Trips to Mars have taken up the majority of space news lately, but that was just a front for what’s really going on. Underneath the tangled web of rumours, NASA and SpaceX have been cooking up a plan to colonise the Moon in just seven years.
NASA TO USE THE MOON AS TESTING GROUND
Now that we know the Moon isn’t made of cheese, many are probably thinking why even go there? We haven’t been since 1972 and for good reason. It’s expensive and pretty much a completely worthless piece of rock. The interest, however, isn’t on the moon itself, but more on the process of colonising it. The lessons learnt and the technology developed will serve as a blueprint for colonising Mars and other planets in the future. Setting up shop on Mars won’t happen in the next decade, but it’s quite possible NASA will have one close to Earth very soon.
SPACEX TO HELP SPACE AGENCY GET TO MARS
Although The U.S government has raised funding for NASA lately, they are still far from wealthy. A trip to the moon costs $150 billion dollars today and the agency’s budget is just $19 billion for 2016. However, that is only if they do things the old way. New developments and new friendships have driven down the cost significantly. According to research, NASA will call on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy for their lunar voyage. Privatized space programs like SpaceX are becoming increasingly popular and they have the money to help out government programs. NASA is looking at SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket to help deliver supplies to the colony. If this relationship proves to be an ongoing success, we could see SpaceX become an intricate part of getting to Mars
3D PRINTING TO HELP WITH SPACE COLONY
According to research, the moon colony would be able to house ten people for up to a year. After just a decade, the base is expected to become a self-sufficient settlement of 100 people. Shipping and growing food up there will surely be a challenge, but they have that figured out. Food and supplies that can not be produced in spaced will be 3D printed. This will greatly save on costs and overall convenience. The future looks bright for space living. Should this work, life on Mars will be more than just a David Bowie song.
