And that in turn could help us get to Mars, says NASA-commissioned study
Only 12 people have walked on the moon, and we havenāt been back since 1972. But a new NASA-commission study has found that we can now afford to set up a permanent base on the moon, by mining for lunar resources and partnering with private companies.
Returning humans to the moon could cost 90 percent less than expected, bringing estimated costs down from $100 billion to $10 billion. Thatās something that NASA could afford on its current deep space human spaceflight budget.
āA factor of ten reduction in cost changes everything,ā said Mark Hopkins, executive committee chair of the National Space Society, in a press release.
The study, released today, was conducted by the National Space Society and the Space Frontier Foundationātwo non-profit organizations that advocate building human settlements beyond Earthāand it was reviewed by an independent team of former NASA executives, astronauts, and space policy experts.
Further reading:
Mars is the next step for humanity ā we must take it
Asteroid mining (infographic)
As humanity pushes outward into space, how will the galaxyās wealth be shared?
NASA to Make Water on the Moon and Oxygen on Mars
Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space
we were too lateā¦Ā space capitalism is comingā¦.
