NASA unveils plan for Artemis 'base camp' on the moon beyond 2024

[Judi Lynn]

By Meghan Bartels



An artist's depiction of work on the moon as part of the Artemis program.
(Image: © NASA)

NASA is forging ahead with its Artemis program to land humans on the moon by 2024, but the agency has also just offered its first plan for what a U.S. lunar presence may look like after that milestone.

The new plan comes from a 13-page report submitted on April 2 to the National Space Council, an advisory group to President Donald Trump chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. Much of the report, titled "NASA’s Plan for Sustained Lunar Exploration and Development," summarizes the vision NASA has laid out for justifying and accomplishing the 2024 moon landing. But the report also looks farther out to focus on what a long-term presence on the moon and in lunar orbit would permit the U.S. to accomplish.

"After 20 years of continuously living in low-Earth orbit, we're now ready for the next great challenge of space exploration — the development of a sustained presence on and around the moon," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement released with the report. "For years to come, Artemis will serve as our North Star as we continue to work toward even greater exploration of the moon, where we will demonstrate key elements needed for the first human mission to Mars."

Artemis Base Camp
The star of the report is what NASA has dubbed Artemis Base Camp, meant to be a long-term foothold for lunar exploration, perhaps in Shackleton Crater at the moon's south pole. According to the document, Artemis Base Camp itself would be a lunar foundation surface habitat that could host four astronauts at the south pole for visits of perhaps a week.

More:
https://www.space.com/nasa-plans-artemis-moon-base-beyond-2024.html

[Blue Owl]

1. Is that astronaut supposed to be drinking a cup of coffee?

[TexasTowelie]

3. That astronaut looks like he needs to go on a coffee diet.

Looks about as portly as some of the actors that make the independent Star Trek videos seen on YouTube.

[Docreed2003]

5. Lol was going to say the same

Looks like coffee is the least of his worries with that beer gut

[Jeebo]

2. Andy Weir's novel "Artemis"

I'm sure it's not a coincidence that Artemis Base Camp has the same name as Andy Weir's novel "Artemis", about an established and thriving lunar colony named Artemis. Did the NASA people get that name from the Andy Weir novel, or did Andy Weir get the name of his novel from a name for a proposed lunar colony that was already in the works around NASA? Just wondering.

In any event, I think this is way overdue. I think we should have had a permanent manned (and womanned) lunar colony for at least 30 years.

-- Ron

[LunaSea]

4. Greek goddess of the Moon

and other stuff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis

NASA is well on its way to make the moon boring again with art like that.
It just screams....meh...

[Bayard]

6. Lunar Exploration and DEVELOPMENT

Ah, boy. Does anyone else see some military, or money-making, aspirations there?