Moon exploration programs, which were simultaneously phased out in the Soviet Union and the United States in the mid-1970s, are again becoming popular and in demand. The moon race, which seemed to be a long time ago, is gaining momentum again. Today scientists from many countries of the world are convinced that humanity is at that stage of its development, which is able to ensure the transformation of the Moon into a space outpost of civilization. For this, the leading countries of the world have everything they need: numerous spaceports, lunar rovers, modules returned to Earth, and heavy-class launch vehicles.
The two main questions of the Lunar program in its modern reincarnation are the following questions: why do earthlings need the Moon, and what technologies will help humanity to colonize it? Scientists from many countries of the world are looking for the answer to these questions today. Today Russia, the USA, the countries of the European Union, China, India and Japan are showing interest in the only natural satellite of the Earth. The Moon was remembered again in 2004, when US President George W. Bush announced the resumption of the lunar program. Later, in 2007 and 2013, China sent the orbital and landing modules to the Moon. And in 2014, plans for the exploration of the moon were voiced by Dmitry Rogozin, who holds the post of Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government.
In the mid-70s of the last century, it was believed that flying to the moon was very expensive, moreover, it was not entirely clear what it was for. Today, the Moon is again becoming relevant and scientists around the world seem to find answers, for which the resumption of lunar programs is necessary. Despite the fact that the political motivation for the exploration of the moon is now absent, new incentives have emerged. For example, the actualization of the lunar programs after more than half a century of oblivion may be associated with the high technological level of today's civilization, which needs really ambitious goals for further development. Also, this process can be associated with the development and prospects of private astronautics. Today in the arsenal of the world space industry there is everything you need to "conquer" the moon, it remains only to accurately determine the goals and objectives of the lunar programs.
The Russian space industry has vast experience in lunar launches, which was previously accumulated by Soviet engineers and scientists. Soviet spacecraft were the first to make a soft landing on the Moon, photographed the reverse side of the Earth's natural satellite, and took samples of the regolith soil. The world's first rover that successfully operated on the surface of a celestial body, widely known as Lunokhod-1, is also a merit of Soviet cosmonautics. The lunar rover operated on the surface of the satellite from November 17, 1970 to September 14, 1971.
Lunokhod-1
Today, manned flights to the moon are again included in the foundations of state policy, RIA Novosti reports. Within the framework of the federal space program for 2016-2025, the Luna-Globe project was developed, which involves the launch of a series of automatic stations to a natural satellite of the Earth. The Lavochkin NGO is currently implementing this project. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, having visited the new Cosmos pavilion at VDNKh on April 12, 2018, noted that the country's lunar program would be implemented.
Immediate plans of the Russian lunar program
At the first stage of the implementation of the Russian lunar program, it is planned to launch five automatic stations to the Moon in 2019-2025. All launches are planned to be carried out from the new Vostochny cosmodrome. The study of the moon by automatic stations implies the selection of a site for expanding human presence on a natural satellite of the Earth. The information received about the necessary resources should help determine the location of the lunar base.
At the first stage of the implementation of the Russian lunar program, the following scientific tasks were set: study of the composition of matter and the ongoing physical processes at the poles of the moon; study of the properties of the exosphere and the processes of interaction of space plasma with the surface at the lunar poles; investigation of the internal structure of a natural satellite of the Earth using the methods of global seismometry; research of ultrahigh energy cosmic rays.
At present, Russia's immediate plans to study the Moon using automatic stations are as follows:
2019 - the launch of the Luna-25 spacecraft. The mission is to study the lunar surface in the region of the South Pole.
2022 - the launch of the Luna-26 spacecraft. Mission - remote study of the moon, providing communication for subsequent lunar missions.
2023 - Launch of 3 and 4 Luna-27 satellites (main and backup landing probes). Mission - development of technologies for creating a permanent base on the lunar surface, study of the regolith and exosphere of the Moon.
2025 - the launch of the Luna-28 spacecraft. Mission - delivery to the Earth's surface of thermostated samples of lunar soil, which will be mined by previous automatic stations, ice crystals may be in the samples.
How the Moon can be used
Many scientists believe that space expansion will be a logical stage in the further development of mankind. Sooner or later, our civilization will reach a stage when it will become cramped on our planet and there will be a need for a transshipment base on the Moon, from where it will be possible to conveniently start to Mars or other planets of the Solar System.
Experts associate special hopes with the possibility of mining various minerals on the moon, highlighting helium-3 from all. This substance is already called the energy of the future and the main treasure of the moon. In the future, it can be used as a fuel for thermonuclear energy. Hypothetically, during thermonuclear fusion with the reaction of one ton of the substance helium-3 and 0.67 tons of deuterium, an energy equivalent to the combustion of 15 million tons of oil should be released (but at present the technical feasibility of such a reaction has not been studied). This is without taking into account the fact that helium-3 on the lunar surface will have to be extracted somehow. And it will not be easy to do this, since, according to studies, the content of helium-3 in the lunar regolith is about one gram per 100 tons of lunar soil. Therefore, to extract a ton of this isotope, it will be necessary to process at least 100 million tons of lunar soil on site. However, if all the problems with its production and use can be solved, helium-3 will be able to provide energy to all of humanity for millennia to come. The reserves of water, which are also contained in the lunar soil, are also of interest to scientists.
The scientific potential of the Moon is currently still not exhausted. Experts still do not know how exactly the Earth's satellite was formed and the answer to this question, obviously, is not on our planet. Also, the Moon seems to be an excellent platform for astrophysical observations, since there is no atmosphere on the natural satellite of our planet. Technically, telescopes can be installed on its surface right now. It will also be more convenient to monitor asteroids from the Moon, which can pose a serious danger to the Earth. And in the very distant future, humanity will be able to think about transferring all energy-intensive industries to the Moon, which will help to significantly reduce the volume of industrial emissions on our planet.
Super heavy launch vehicles
At present, the question of the need for super-heavy launch vehicles for flights to the Moon remains controversial. Someone believes that it is impossible to do without missiles capable of carrying up to 80-120 tons of payload, while others, on the contrary, consider the approach of creating such missiles to be irrational, justifying this by expensive operation and maintenance of the necessary infrastructure. In any case, the world cosmonautics can provide the creation of such rockets. There is enough experience in their development: these are the Soviet carrier rockets "N-1", "Energia", "Vulcan" and the American "Saturn-5", "Ares V".
Rocket "Energia" with the spacecraft "Buran"
Currently, the United States is working on two projects of such rockets - the Space Launch System, the launch of which was delayed and successfully tested by the private rocket Falcon Heavy. In the PRC, they are working on the creation of their own super-heavy rocket "Great March 9", designed at once for 130 tons of payload. In Russia, missiles of the Angara family have been tested and work is underway on the super-heavy rocket Energia-5. There is currently no shortage of spaceports for the use of super-heavy launch vehicles on Earth: Baikonur, Vostochny, Kuru in French Guiana and Vandenberg in Florida, 4 spaceports in China.
It is planned that the first launch of the new Russian super-heavy launch vehicle Energia-5 will take place no earlier than 2028, and the launch complex for it at the Vostochny cosmodrome will be ready in 2027. This was previously reported by the TASS agency with reference to its own sources in the rocket and space industry. The launch pad for the new Russian rocket will be built according to the principles implemented for the Soviet Energia launch vehicle at Baikonur (site # 250). It is reported that this will be a universal launch complex, from which medium-class Soyuz-5 launch vehicles and formations of two, three or five such missiles (to achieve different payloads) can also be launched. It is the principle of combining five missiles that forms the basis of the new Russian super-heavy rocket Energia-5.
Currently, Russian developers are working on the creation of two missile projects proposed for implementation - "Energia-5V-PTK" and "Energia-5VR-PTK" with a launch mass of 2368 and 2346 tons. Both versions of the launch vehicle will be able to launch up to 100 tons of cargo into low-earth orbit, and up to 20.5 tons of payload into a circumlunar orbit - the mass of the "lunar" version of the Federation spacecraft being developed.
The alleged view of the launch complex with the Space Launch System rocket
According to the calculations of Roskosmos, the development of a super-heavy launch vehicle and the creation of the necessary infrastructure for its launch at the Vostochny cosmodrome will cost about 1.5 trillion rubles. Also, Roskosmos previously announced that there is no need to rush to create such missiles until 2030, since there are simply no payloads for them. At the same time, RSC Energia stated earlier that the creation of a new Russian super-heavy rocket would be 1.5 times cheaper than the reproduction of the Soviet Energia launch vehicle, the creation of which, along with the Buran spacecraft, was the most ambitious program in the history of Russian space rocketry.
Orbiting station and lunar bases
Projects for the construction of habitable stations in its orbit are considered as intermediate stages in the exploration of the Moon. Russia, the United States and China have already announced the implementation of such plans in the period from 2025 to 2030. There is no reason to doubt that this project will be implemented. The international community currently has a wealth of experience in the successful operation of the ISS. Earlier, the United States and Russia agreed to work together on an international near-lunar manned station Deep Space Gateway. The EU, Canada and Japan are also working on the project. Participation in the program and the BRICS countries is possible. Within the framework of this project, Russia can create from one to three modules for a new station: an airlock and living quarters.
The next stage after the creation of a circumlunar inhabited station could be the creation of lunar inhabited bases. On the natural satellite of the Earth there is no magnetic field and atmosphere, while the surface of the Moon is continuously bombarded by micrometeorites, and temperature drops in one day reach 400 degrees Celsius. All this makes the Moon not the most human-friendly place. It is possible to work on its surface only in spacesuits and sealed lunar rovers, or while inside a stationary habitable module equipped with a complete life support system. It will be most convenient to deploy such a module in the vicinity of the South Pole of our satellite. It is always light here and there are less temperature fluctuations. It is planned that at the first stage, robots will be engaged in the assembly of the residential module. After manned flights to the Moon are sufficiently developed, the construction of a habitable lunar module will expand.
Lunar base concept
The first inhabitants of our satellite will first deploy on its surface means of communication with the orbital station and the Earth, after which they will start launching power plants based on fuel cells or flexible photocells. It will be necessary to work out the issues of protecting the lunar base from solar flares and cosmic radiation. To do this, it is planned to cover it with a meter-long layer of regolith, for example, by conducting directed explosions, since it makes little sense to deliver dump trucks and excavators to the lunar surface. Construction work on the Moon will have to be based on completely different technologies: to print structural elements on a 3D printer; use inflatable modules; create composite materials from lunar soil using high-temperature synthesis and laser sintering.
The residential lunar module will have a well-developed drinking water and oxygen supply system, and a vegetable greenhouse will be created. The key importance will be given to the self-sufficiency of the lunar base. Only in this way it will be possible to reduce the number of rockets with various cargoes sent to the Moon. At present, there are no fundamental obstacles to human colonization of the Moon, but what the first inhabited lunar base will ultimately look like will depend on the purposes for which it will be designed.
