THE HIGH FRONTIER' NEWSLETTER VOLUME XIII ISSUE 6 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 1987 SPACE STUDIES INSTITUTE PO. BOX 82 PRINCETON, NEW JERSEY 08540 VICE PRESIDENT’S COLUMN Space Colonies, Lunar Water, & the Ride Report Would you like to live in a space colony? Like many of SSI’s supporters, my first contact with Dr. O'Neill’s concept of the High Frontier into space was the result of seeing a painting of a space colony (in my case, the cover of Physics Today magazine in September 1974). NASA studies in the mid- and late-1970s confirmed the feasibility of these large space habitats and further refined the designs with the Bernal Sphere coming out on top as the best design to date for permanent human facilities. At present, SSI’s efforts are focused on the near-term steps which must be taken to create the activities in space that will lead to the proliferation of space colonies throughout the solar system. From time to time it may seem that we are completely caught up in vapor phase pyrolysis or regolith beneficiation, but don’t let that fool you. We are actively pursuing the ultimate goal of the human breakout into space. We have some very exciting developments to report in this issue. They include the recommendations of Dr. Sally Ride and a status report on a development which could hasten space colony development by 20 years. But first... NASA ADMINISTRATOR PREDICTS SOLAR POWER SATELLITES AND SPACE COLONIES FROM LUNAR RESOURCES On October 12, at the annual International Astronautical Federation meeting, held this year in Brighton, England, NASA Administrator James Fletcher predicted the construction of human colonies in space from material mined on the Moon. In a speech in which he conjectured about a NASA Administrator 30 years from now he said, “Perhaps the NASA Administrator in 2017 might also argue that mankind’s expansion into the solar system is inevitable, regardless of how the search for extraterrestrial intelligence ends up. “And here 1 will stick my neck out and make a prediction. The highlight and fitting conclusion of his or her speech will come when the Administrator switches on a special video receiver for a direct broadcast to announce the birth of the first baby born in space. “That lunar colony will be the precursor of space colonies proposed in the mid-1970s by Gerard O'Neill. By the end of the 21st century, these colonies could be located at the Libration Points in the Earth-Moon system — points, such as L4 and L5, where centrifugal (continued on back page) LEADERSHIP And America’s Future in Space Highlights from A Report to the NASA Administrator By Dr. Sally K. Ride August 1987 MEETING THE CHALLENGE IS AERONAUTICS AND SPACE NASA’s vision is to be at the forefront of advancements in aeronautics, space science, and exploration. To set our course into the 21st century and bring this vision to reality, NASA will pursue major goals which represent its aspirations in aviation and space. These goals are: •Advance scientific knowledge of the planet Earth, the solar system, and the universe beyond. •Expand human presence beyond the Earth into the solar system. •Strengthen aeronautics research and develop technology toward promoting U.S. leadership in civil and military aviation. LEADERSHIP INITIATIVES To energize a discussion of long-range goals and strategies for the civilian space program, four bold initiatives were selected for definition, study, and evaluation: 1. Mission to Planet Earth: a program that would use the perspective afforded from space to study and characterize our home planet on a global scale. 2. Exploration of the Solar System: a program to retain U.S. leadership in exploration of the outer solar system, and regain U.S. leadership in exploration of comets, asteroids, and Mars. 3. Outpost on the Moon: a program that would build on and extend the legacy of the Apollo Program, returning Americans to the Moon to continue exploration, to establish a permanent scientific outpost, and to begin prospecting the Moon’s resources. 4. Humans to Mars: a program to send astronauts on a series of roundtrips to land on the surface of Mars, leading to the eventual establishment of a permanent base. OUTPOST ON THE MOON This initiative builds on the legacy of Apollo and envisions a new phase of lunar exploration and development — a phase leading to a human outpost on another world. That outpost would support scientific research and exploration of the Moon’s resource potential, and would represent a significant extraterrestrial step toward learning to live and work in the hostile environments of other worlds. Beginning with robotic exploration in the 1990s, this initiative would land astronauts on the lunar surface in the year 2000, to construct an outpost that would evolve in size and capability and would be a vital, visible extension of our capabilities and our vision. BACKGROUND The Apollo Program was a great national adventure. We sent explorers to scout the cratered highlands and smooth maria of the Moon, and to bring samples collected on their trips back to laboratories on Earth. The world was fascinated by the Apollo missions and the information they obtained, and the samples provided scientists many exciting clues about the Moon’s origin and chemical composition. The Apollo era ended 15 years ago, before we could fully explore the promise of lunar science and lunar resources. But we learned that human beings can work on the surface of the Moon, and we laid the technical foundation to develop the scientific and engineering tasks for the next stages of exploration. This initiative would send the next generation of pioneers — to pitch their tents, establish supply lines, and gradually build a scientifically and technically productive outpost suitable for long-term habitation. This initiative represents a sustained commitment to learn to live and work in space. As our experience and capabilities on the lunar surface grow, this extraterrestrial outpost will gradually become less and less dependent on the supply line to Earth. The first steps toward “living off the lunar land” will be learning to extract oxygen from the lunar soil, where it is plentiful, and learning to make construction materials. The lunar soil would eventually be a source of oxygen for propellant and lifesupport systems, and a source of material for shelters and facilities. The Moon’s unique environment provides the opportunity for significant scientific advances; the prospect for gains in lunar and planetary science is abundantly clear. Additionally, since the Moon is seismically stable and has no atmosphere, and since its far side is shielded from the radio noise from Earth, it is a very attractive spot for experiments and observations in astrophysics, gravity wave physics, and neutrino physics, to name a few. It is also an excellent location for materials science and life science research because of its low gravitational field (one-sixth of the Earth’s). STRATEGY AND SCENARIO This initiative proposes the gradual, three-phase evolution of our ability to live and work on the lunar surface. Phase 1: Search for a Site (1990s) The initial phase would focus on robotic exploration of the Moon. It would begin with the launching of the Lunar Geoscience Observer, which will map the surface, perform (continued on page 2) Copyright 1987 Space Studies Institute
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