NASA Eyes Plan for Deep-Space Outpost Near the Moon

[bananas]

http://www.space.com/14518-nasa-moon-deep-space-station-astronauts.html

NASA Eyes Plan for Deep-Space Outpost Near the Moon

by Leonard David, SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist
Date: 10 February 2012

NASA is pressing forward on assessing the value of a "human-tended waypoint" near the far side of the moon — one that would embrace international partnerships as well as commercial and academic participation, SPACE.com has learned.

According to a Feb. 3 memo from William Gerstenmaier, NASA's associate administrator for human exploration and operations, a team is being formed to develop a cohesive plan for exploring a spot in space known as the Earth-moon libration point 2 (EML-2).

snip

A pre-memo NASA appraisal of EML-2, which is near the lunar far side, has spotlighted this destination as the "leading option" for a near-term exploration capability.

EML-2 could serve as a gateway for capability-driven exploration of multiple destinations, such as near-lunar space, asteroids, the moon, the moons of Mars and, ultimately, Mars itself, according to NASA officials.

snip

[Ichingcarpenter]

1. In other words Lagrangian points .. great idea

Libration points, also known as Lagrangian points, are places in space where the combined gravitational pull of two large masses roughly balance each other out, allowing spacecraft to essentially "park" there.


More on this news:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46354336/t/nasa-considers-outpost-beyond-moons-far-side/#.T0I5cJj1ufY

[eppur_se_muova]

2. Heh ...

In 1973, George Hazelrigg, also of Princeton, suggested to O'Neill that the L4 and L5 Lagrangian libration points might be ideal locations for the large habitats that O'Neill envisioned. (The idea of locating a large structure at a libration point can be traced back further to the 1961 novel A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke). L4 and L5 are points of gravitational equilibrium located on the Moon's orbit at equal distances from both the Earth and the Moon. An object placed in orbit around L5 (or L4) will remain there indefinitely without having to expend fuel to keep it in position. The orbit around L5 has an average radius of about 90,000 miles, which leaves room for a very large number of space settlements even at this one location.

http://www.nss.org/settlement/L5news/L5history.htm

[MADem]

3. I hate to say it, but my first thought went to that SNL skit that had Newt on the moon a few weeks

ago! nt

[Phoonzang]

4. NASA will probably first need to 1.)Not have its budget cut and 2.)Be able to demonstrate

an ability to launch humans and heavy cargo beyond LEO. Oh and while they're at it, actually be able to launch humans into space.