Why visit the Moon once more?

A voyage to Mars can't happen for NASA unless the Moon is reclaimed.

After JFK's famous address, the US is returning to the Moon. AFP/Photo

Former US President John F. Kennedy announced his goal of sending a human to the Moon by the end of the decade in a September 12, 1962, address to the nation.

At the height of the Cold War, after the Soviet Union had launched the first satellite and placed the first man in orbit, the United States needed a significant triumph to establish its space superiority.

"Kennedy told 40,000 people at Rice University, "We choose to travel to the Moon because it's a challenge we're willing to accept and aim to win."

Sixty years later, the US is ready to dispatch Artemis, its first Moon mission. Duplicating work is useless.

Critics like Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins and Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin, who have long wanted the United States to go to Mars without stopping at the moon, have been vocal in recent years.

On the other hand, NASA insists that returning to the Moon is necessary before exploring Mars. This is the rationale behind it.

Protracted trips to space.

Unlike the brief Apollo flights, NASA's goal is to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon, with missions lasting several weeks.

Prepare for a multi-year trek to Mars.

Extremely high levels of radiation are a genuine health risk in space.

Compared to the Moon, the International Space Station (ISS) operates in Low Earth Orbit, which is partially insulated from radiation by the Earth's magnetic field.

Numerous tests designed to examine the effects of this radiation on living organisms and evaluate the efficacy of an anti-radiation vest will begin with the first Artemis mission.

In addition, although resupply missions to the ISS are relatively routine, missions to the Moon, which are a thousand times further, are significantly more complicated.

NASA wants to use what's on the ground instead of transporting everything.

Moon's south pole ice includes water that can be divided into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel.

Putting brand-new tools through their paces.

Furthermore, NASA hopes to test out on the Moon the technology that will eventually be used on Mars. The priority is the development of new spacesuits for use on spacewalks.

The first trip to land on the Moon, scheduled for no earlier than 2025, will use Axiom Space's design.

Also required are habitats and transportation systems, including pressurized and unpressurized vehicles for the astronauts.

Finally, NASA is developing portable nuclear fission technologies to ensure continued access to a reliable energy supply.

If issues develop, it will be much simpler to resolve them on the Moon (which can be reached in a matter of days) than on Mars (which will take at least several months to get).

Putting down roots.

Artemis relies heavily on a relay station orbiting the Moon named Gateway, which will be the first stop on the journey to Mars.

In charge of the Gateway program, Sean Fuller told AFP that all the essential equipment could be carried there in "several launches" before the crew is eventually joined to start the long trek.

"Like doing a final check at the convenience store before setting out on your journey."

Keeping one's position as China's leader.

The United States has proposed establishing a lunar colony for reasons other than beating the Chinese to Mars; the latter country plans to launch taikonauts to the Moon by 2030.

With Russia's once-proud space program now faltering, China has emerged as the United States' principal rival.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently stated in an interview, "We don't want China suddenly coming there and saying, 'This is our exclusive area.'"

Science needs to know this.

While over 400 kg of lunar rock was brought back to Earth during the Apollo missions, additional samples will allow us to learn more about the moon's origins.

Astronaut Jessica Meir told AFP, "The materials we acquired during the Apollo missions transformed how we perceive our solar system." That's something about the Artemis program, too, I believe!

She anticipates a new wave of scientific and technological advancements like the Apollo era.