This week's Question: NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay recently edited a special issue in the journal New Space, publishing papers that came out of a 2014 meeting with scientists and space business professionals. The goal of the 2014 meeting was to explore and develop low-cost options for building a human settlement on the moon. Establishing a colony on the moon could open up opportunities for research and deep space travel to Mars. The bigger question, however, is cost and whether the project could still be done in addition to the Mars exploration missions. The New Space papers concluded that a small lunar base could be constructed for $10 billion or less, and could be done by 2022. Many of the proposed technologies that could be used to lower the costs of a moon base include virtual reality for planning efforts; 3D printing to replace components; and flexible living modules that fit into a rocket's cargo bay.  

What do you think? Should we establish a colony on the moon? 

What do you think?


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