The scientific case for renewed human activities on the Moon

Abstract

It is over thirty years since the last human being stood on the lunar surface, and I will argue that this long hiatus in human exploration has been to the detriment of lunar and planetary science. The primary scientific importance of the Moon lies in the record it preserves of the early evolution of a terrestrial planet, and of the near-Earth cosmic environment in the first billion years or so of Solar System history. This record may not be preserved anywhere else, and I will argue that gaining proper access to it will require a human presence. Moreover, while this will primarily be a task for the geosciences, I will argue that the astronomical and biological sciences would also benefit from a renewed human presence on the Moon, and especially from the establishment of a permanently occupied scientific outpost.

On the Survivability and Detectability of Terrestrial Meteorites on the Moon

“…It is certainly possible to design a suitable robotic infrared imaging system that could survey hundreds of square kilometers quite quickly and thus efficiently identify candidates despite their expected rarity. On the other hand, the collection of these candidate materials, their preliminary characterization in situ, and the return to Earth of selected specimens for more detailed analysis would be greatly facilitated by a human presence on the Moon (Crawford, 2004). Further, the search for buried materials (e.g., in palaeoregolith deposits) may be impractical without a human presence.…”

Towards an Integrated Scientific and Social Case for Human Space Exploration

“…The rich scientific legacy of Apollo to planetary science has already been alluded to, and summarised by Heiken et al (1991), Wilhelms (1993), Taylor (1994) and Spudis (1996), and compelling scientific reasons for a human return to the Moon can be identified (e.g. Taylor, 1985;ESA, 1992, Spudis, 2001, Crawford, 2004a. These include the recovery of ancient galactic and solar wind particles (Spudis, 1996;Wieler et al, 1996), and meteorites blasted of the surfaces of early Earth, Mars and Venus (Armstrong et al, 2002), from buried palaeoregolith layers.…”

“…These include the recovery of ancient galactic and solar wind particles (Spudis, 1996;Wieler et al, 1996), and meteorites blasted of the surfaces of early Earth, Mars and Venus (Armstrong et al, 2002), from buried palaeoregolith layers. They also include a better calibration of the lunar (and hence terrestrial) impact cratering rate, a better understanding of impact cratering processes, and a range of geological and geophysical investigations (see discussion by Crawford, 2004a). Many of the arguments for human exploration of the Moon also apply, with some modifications, to the future exploration of Mars (e.g.…”

UK Lunar Science Missions: Moonlite & Moonraker

“…There is now a global renewed interest in returning to the Moon, driven both by the demands of science and as a stepping-stone for human exploration of the Solar System [e.g. 2,3]. In terms of science, the Moon provides a unique record of processes affecting evolution of terrestrial planets during the first Giga-year or so of Solar System history.…”