South Korea, the United Arab Emirates and Israel are among the countries planning to get in on the action. The most ambitious efforts, though, belong to America
To start with, the station will be inhabited for just a month a year. Automated and remotely controlled systems will run it at other times. But before long, Mr Fuller says, it should be possible to increase that period to two months. Some might reckon this brief. The International Space Station has been continuously inhabited for more than 21 years. But theorbits a mere 400km or so above Earth.
A notable obstacle to doing all this is radiation, for it is not just people who are harmed by it. Equipment is, too. As a consequence, components developed for use in satellites operating near Earth, and thus shielded by the planet’s magnetic field, are likely to fail rapidly when exposed to the rigours of deeper space.
That cost is also pertinent to the second resource, the Moon’s surface itself. This crushed rock, called regolith, crushed further still and perhaps mixed with appropriate liquids, might be turned into “ink” suitable for the 3Chang’e 8, scheduled for 2027, will test that idea. One problem is that, in the vacuum of space, liquids rapidly boil. To overcome this,has run tests on Earth.
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