After nearly 40 years of working with technologies that allow manned spacecraft to be launched no further than near-earth orbit, the American space agency NASA, apparently, has decided to invest money in deep space. In particular, NASA plans to create a space base located behind the Moon. The idea of creating an intermediate base in this place for finding astronauts there, according to media reports, is receiving quite a lot of support in the American space agency. Currently, there are many projects and options that relate to this station. According to one of them, during its creation, a Russian-made module will be used, which is similar to the Science and Energy Platform - a project of one of the modules for the ISS, the spare parts of the International Space Station themselves, as well as equipment that remained in the United States from the shuttle program.
It is assumed that the official announcement of the new mission of the American space agency may appear in the very near future. For example, in November, after the presidential elections in the United States. Until then, it cannot be said with 100% certainty that the information leaked to the media regarding the construction of a space station beyond the Moon is really feasible and really serious. Since there is a possibility that this is just a move that will allow us to study the public reaction to this problem.
It is assumed that an analogue of the ISS located near the Moon will be able to act as a staging post, which will make it possible to better study the natural satellite of the Earth, asteroids, and also send people to Mars in the future. The source of this information, which can still be attributed to rumors, is the American edition of Orlando Sentinel. The Orlando Sentinel authors claim to have gotten to know the information on this topic in the corresponding report, compiled by the head of NASA Charles Bolden, for the White House.
The documents allegedly contain information that the US space agency plans to assemble a new space station at the so-called Lagrange point - L2 in the Earth-Moon system. Conventionally, the new space station is planned to be called EML-2 (Earth-Moon Lagrange 2). It will be located at a distance of 61 thousand km. from the Moon (beyond the far side of the Earth's satellite) and at a distance of 446 thousand km. from our planet.
The Lagrange point L2 is located on a straight line that connects two bodies with masses M1 and M2, while M1> M2, and is located behind a body with a lower mass. At this point, the gravitational forces that act on the body compensate for the action of centrifugal forces in the rotating frame of reference. Based on this, the L2 point, located, for example, in the Sun-Earth system, is the best place for building telescopes and orbiting space observatories. Since an object located at the L2 point is able to maintain its orientation relative to the Earth and the Sun for a long time, it becomes much easier to calibrate and screen it. However, it also has a drawback, this point is located a little further than the earth's shadow (located in the penumbra region), so that solar radiation is not completely blocked in it.
At the same time, the L2 Lagrange point located in the Earth-Moon system can be used to provide satellite communication with objects located on the back side of the Earth satellite, as well as be a convenient location for the location of a gas station, which would help to ensure traffic between the Earth and By the moon. Currently, spacecraft of the American and European space agencies are already located at this point: WMAP, Planck, as well as the Herschel space telescope.
If the space station is located in the Earth-Moon system, then it will be in one more or less static position. That is, such a station will not rotate relative to our satellite and our planet. This is achieved due to the fact that the forces of gravity, which act on the station of such an insignificant mass from the Earth and the Moon, are balanced by centrifugal force. This station position has many advantages.
The EML-2 space station can be assembled from parts of the existing ISS, and also include a Russian module and Italian components. The delivery of the necessary modules can be carried out using the super-heavy American SLS launch vehicle, the first flight of which is scheduled for 2017. Probably, by 2019, this rocket can be used to build the EML-2. Cargo and people can be sent to the new inhabited space station using the Orion multipurpose spacecraft. If it speaks about the functions of the station itself, then with its help the United States will be able to send new robotic missions to the moon to study it (according to plans, a new portion of the lunar soil should be on Earth in 2022).
After that, the station can help humanity in sending people to Mars. The American publication Orlando Sentinel reports that a station located at the L2 point of the Earth-Moon system is the best option for gaining appropriate flight experience with a minimum level of risk. NASA's plans are partially confirmed by recent news that the US space agency has announced contracts to build solid-fuel boosters for a new heavy launch vehicle SLS.
Another proof of these plans can be partly considered the fact that specialists from the United States have been working out technologies for a long time that allow a manned mission to get to an asteroid and study it. According to the latest information from NASA, the SLS launch vehicle will send a person to an asteroid in 2025, and to a red planet in the 2030s.
In addition, the EML-2 project is quite similar to the Global Exploration Roadmap, which was presented by the International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG) in 2011. ISECG is a consortium created by the nations that took part in the creation of the ISS. The documents provided, in particular, contain plans to extend the operation of the ISS until 2020, as well as schedule space missions for the next quarter of a century, which will become possible if the orbital station will exist for another 8 years. In the same place, in particular, the measures that will need to be taken are described in order to study the asteroids closest to the Earth, as well as return a person to the Moon.
It should be noted that the cost of such large-scale projects is still unknown to anyone. It may turn out that it is the money issue during the global financial crisis that will become the main problem on the way to the implementation of grandiose space programs. It is currently unknown whether the US Congress and the Presidential Administration will approve such plans and spending. Orlando Sentinel correspondents were unable to get official comments from NASA and the White House on this matter.
Also, developers who plan to create EML-2 face more than just funding. They have a decent amount of technical problems to solve. For example, to develop a more reliable system of protection against radiation, since the Lagrange point, which the Americans are targeting, is located outside the radiation belt that protects our planet and its surroundings from the harmful effects of streams of high-energy particles. In addition, the Orion spacecraft will need to "arm" itself with protection that would provide it with protection from warming up in the Earth's atmosphere. Over the time Apollo 17, which returned to Earth in 1972, no ship has been subjected to similar tests (return rates were not the same).
The next stage assumes that all technical nodes must be ready for a sufficiently long flight from Earth and back. This means that all automation must work as reliably as possible. The training of the crew should also be appropriate. And here we are talking not only about psychological training, but primarily technical. Since today's conquerors of space have never dreamed of anything like this.
However, it is worth noting that until official confirmation of the work on the EML-2 project comes from NASA representatives, it remains only one of the possible options for the development of US space programs. At the same time, I would like to believe that such projects are in principle possible and can be implemented. Since in this case the space that man has mastered would grow to incredible sizes.
