New Space

NASA astrobiologist Chris McKay helped organize a workshop in March 2016, and then he edited a special issue in the journal New Space to publish the papers that came out of the workshop.

The New Space papers, conclude that we could set up a small lunar base for $10 billion or less, and we could do it by 2022.

"The big takeaway," says McKay, "is that new technologies, some of which have nothing to do with space--like self-driving cars and waste-recycling toilets--are going to be incredibly useful in space, and are driving down the cost of a moon base to the point where it might be easy to do."

Why go back to the moon?

Currently, NASA has no plans to send humans back to the moon--instead it's focusing on getting to Mars in the 2030s. But McKay and others think we can't possibly go hiking on Mars if we don't first learn to camp in our own backyard.

"My interest is not the moon. To me the moon is as dull as a ball of concrete," says the astrobiologist. "But we're not going to have a research base on Mars until we can learn how to do it on the Moon first. The moon provides a blueprint to Mars."

A lunar base would provide a valuable opportunity to test out new propulsion systems, habitats, communications, and life support systems before astronauts bring them to Mars--a 9-month trip away, versus just a few days to the moon.

The trouble is, NASA tends to think it can only afford to go to either the moon,or Mars. If McKay and his colleagues are right, we can afford to do both--it just takes a new way of thinking about it.

How do we do it?

The exact strategy for building a lunar base differs depending on who you ask.

Many of the proposals start with robotic exploration to scope out the perfect site for a permanent dwelling. "MoonCats" (like a Bobcat, but adapted for lunar excavation) could then level the terrain for landing pads and the habitat,suggests one paper, while other robots set up solar power panels.

After the habitat modules arrive, robotic "Lunar Surface Mules" could help set them up so they'll be ready when the humans arrive.

Moon Colony

Human occupation of the moon would likely begin slowly, with a few short stays by a small crew. The missions would get longer and larger over time, until you have a permanently occupied station, much like the International Space Station. Eventually the station could evolve into a complex, multi-use settlement with hundreds of people, and their children, living there permanently.

Some teams imagine the lunar station as a scientific base, while others picture it evolving into something more commercial.

"Some of the possible export options include: water from the permanently shadowed craters, precious metals from asteroid impact sites, and even [helium-3] that could fuel a pollution-free terrestrial civilization for many centuries," writes one team. "As transportation to and from the Moon becomes more frequent and cheaper, the lunar tourism mark should begin to emerge and could become a significant source of income in the future."

What technologies do we need to survive?

At a basic level, we already know how to survive on the Moon, because humans have been living on the International Space Station for years.

"PLSS technologies have been proved in space for the past 14 years on the International Space Station," writes one group, referring to the life support system that recycles the water on the space station and balances out the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels. "[W]e have access to sufficient life support technologies to support implementation of the first human settlement on the Moon today."

With those essentials taken care of, the team estimates that at today's launch prices, SpaceX could deliver the rest of the food and essential supplies for a crew of 10 for $350 million or less per year.

How much would it cost?

Overall the consensus in these papers is that NASA could build a lunar base for $10 billion, with upkeep costs of about $2 billion or less per year, which is about as much as NASA puts toward the International Space Station every year. Funding is no longer the main hurdle.

For more details see the Popular Science article (Click Here)

And this PDF: Toward a Low-Cost Lunar Settlement