The views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of NASA or the NASA Astronaut Office

1
The Benefits of a Return to the Moon
Moon The 8th Continent
2
Humanity is poised at the doorstep of tremendous
opportunity

• New Age of Space Exploration/Development
• Can Improve Quality of Life
• Compelling Human Need to Explore
• Energy
• Protect the Planet From Disasters
• Create Commercial Enterprises to Improve Life on
  Earth
• Develop New Technologies and Discoveries
• Education
• We Should Return to the Moon to Provide Tangible
  Benefits to All of Humanity and a Broad National
  Benefit to America.

Photo ESA
3
Exploration
Photo NASA

• Investment in Our Future
• Permanent Lunar Base Will Enable Us to
  Demonstrate the Ability to Conduct Autonomous
  Sustainable Space Operations
• Provide a Test Bed to Demonstrate the Systems and
  Processes Required to Explore Mars and Beyond
• Open the Way to Detailed Study and Use of Lunar
  Resources
• More Economical to Utilize Lunar Resources

4
Energy

• The World Faces a Crisis of Enormous Proportions
• Moon A Potential Solution
• Platinum
• Limitations Rarity
• Environmental Impact
• Helium-3
• Limitations Rarity
• Technology
• Solar Energy
• Limitations Weather and other Obstructions
• Environmental Impact

5
Protect the Planet from Disasters

• Asteroid Impacts
• Super Volcano Eruptions
• Lunar Systems and Associated Technology Can
  Provide for the Earths Inhabitants in the Event
  of Disasters
• Advanced Life Support Systems
• Inflatable Habitats
• Uninterrupted Energy Distribution
• Methods to Grow Food in Closed Systems
• These Systems Will Also Improve Our Ability to
  Live in Extreme
• Environments and Can Be Used As a Test Bed to
  Learn How to
• Overcome Limited Resources and Other
  Environmental Issues

6
Moon Based Commercial Enterprises

• Break the Launch Stranglehold
• Utilize Those Resources Already in Space
• Moon - A Perfect Place to Start
• Numerous Moon Based Commercial Activities
• Lunar Refueling Stations
• Lunar Mining
• Space Tourism
• Others
• Synergy

Photo ESA
Return National Treasures From Space and Provide
a Significant Return on Our National Space
Investment
7
Scientific Research

• Science Activities - Limited by Our National
  Budget
• Establish a Sustainable, Economically Viable,
  Revenue Generating, Lunar Base - Science Will
  Only Be Limited by Our Imagination
• Astronomy
• Geology
• Material Science
• Innovative Methods to Deal With
• Limited Resources on Earth

Photo ESA
8
Education
Photo ESA

• Our Children Are Our Best Investment for the
  Future
• Space Program Is a Tremendous Motivator for
  Students of All Ages
• Decline in the Number of Students Enrolled in
  Math and Science Courses
• Space Programs Positive Effect on Education
  Could Help to Turn This Trend Around
• Maintain Our Nations Technological Leadership

Photo NASA
9
How To Accomplish This Enormous Undertaking?

• U.S. Railroad System
• Greatest Problem for Railroad Developers Was
  Money
• The Federal Government Stepped in and Played a
  Critical Role in the Development of the Railroad
• Space Developers
• Face Similar Obstacles in Order to Provide
  Tangible Benefits to Humanity
• Enormous Up-front Costs
• Only a Potential Long-term Return on Investment
• Government Establish the Basic Infrastructure
  for an Earth-Moon Transportation System and a
  Sustainable, Semi-Autonomous , Permanent Human
  Settlement on the Moon
• Once Initial Investment Is Made, Commercial,
  Revenue-Generating Activities Can Be Established

Photo ESA
10
Key Aspects of a Sustainable Lunar Infrastructure

• Reliable and Economical Access to Low Earth Orbit
  (LEO)
• Reusable Cyclic Spacecraft
• Robotic Missions
• Site Selection Reconnaissance
• Energy Infrastructure Establishment
• Lunar Resource Identification and Processing
• Establish the Following Within the Lunar Base
• Lunar Resource Utilization
• Energy Rich Infrastructure
• Maintainability
• Commonality
• Integrated Logistic Support
• Semi-Autonomous Operations
• Long-term Design Considerations
• Possibly Develop an X-Prize Type Contest

Photo NASA
Photo NASA
11
Why is this Important?

• We Live in a World of Finite Resources
• We Are Already at the Point Where Continued
  Development Is Constrained by Our Limited
  Earth-bound Resources
• Global Population Continues to Grow
• At Some Point the Human Race Must Utilize
  Resources From Space in Order to Survive
• We Are Faced With Three Choices
• Allow Nations to Develop to a Level of Prosperity
  Disregarding Damage to the Environment
• Limit the Development of Nations
• Assist Developing Nations Without Damaging the
  Environment by Utilizing Resources and Energy
  From Space.
• Using Resources/Energy From Space Enables
  Continued Growth and Spread of Prosperity
  Without Destroying Our Planets Environment in
  the Process.

12
If We Choose to Not Pursue a Course Toward the
Utilization of Space - We Will Have Lost an
Incredible Opportunity to Expand Our Available
Resources, Energy Sources, and Technology. We
Will Have Chosen to Constrain Economic
Development, the Increase of Prosperity, and
Quality of Life Throughout the World. Just As
We Look Back and Thank Those Before Us for
Developing Those Things That Most of Us Take for
Granted Our Hope Is That Generations to Come
Will Look Back and Thank Us for Making the
Correct Decisions Toward Space Exploration and
Development for Their Future. The Best Legacy
We Can Leave Future Generations Is That Our
Generation Took the First Step to Ensure That All
Peoples and All Generations Are at Least As Well
off As We Are.
13
Our Legacy

• When We Reach the Point of Self-sustainable Space
  Operations We Will Have the Ability to Transform
  the Earth From a Place Where People and Nations
  Quarrel Over Scarce Resources to a World Where
  the Basic Needs of All People Are Met and Where
  We Can Be United in the Common Adventure of
  Exploration of Worlds Beyond Our Own
• 1st Step Establishment of a Sustainable
  Permanent Human Lunar Settlement
• Poised at the Doorstep of an Incredible
  Opportunity to Benefit All of Humanity
• We Have the Technology and the Ability to Make
  This a Reality
• - We Only Need the Will to See It Through

14
Photo ESA
To Be Continued..
15