Despite growing concerns over budget cuts as the deadline for President Obama's submitting the 2013 federal budget request draws near, NASA is eying a bold, expensive venture that could pave the way for the exploration of deep space, a lunar“human-tended wayport.” According to the information coming thus far, this launching point would also serve international partners as well as the private sector.
In space exploration, the hardest thing to do besides getting to the intended destination is the act of getting off the ground itself. Obviously, lifting a heavy rocket into orbit (and beyond) requires an immense amount of energy to escape Earth's gravity. To this effect, the vast majority (sometimes up to 95%) of any spacecraft at launch is its fuel load. For many space planners, using a body with lower gravity (like the Moon) serves as a way around this problem.
However, as good as the Moon may be,there may be an even better option.
In 5 areas called Lagrangian Points, the gravity of the Earth and Moon essentially cancel out each other. The implication: if spacecraft could be launched from this point in lunar orbit, very little fuel would be required to send them into deep space as there is virtually no gravity top stop a spacecraft from going anywhere.
According to the NASA memo, the space agency is looking at Lagrangian Point 2, which sits on the far side of the Moon, exactly opposite Earth.
Unfortunately, one thing (or lack thereof) more than anything else stands in the way of making this lunar orbit launch point from becoming reality: money.
As addressed in the NASA memo itself, the space agency is looking for partners in other nations, the private sector, and academia in order to help cover the cost of making this lunar gateway to deep space become a reality. In addition to space exploration, the mere fact that this outpost would be on the far side of the Moon could interest scientists (and thus their institutions) as an ideal place from which to do research.
Unfortunately, there is deep concern at NASA over the upcoming 2013 federal budget request. In 2012, NASA got less money than it got in 2011. On the bright side, things could have been a lot worse as
Congress originally intended to strip about $1 billion from the space agency's coffers. Come 2012 and an election year, it is not unreasonable that President Obama will seek to present himself as more of a budget hawk in an effort to get votes, which could mean pulling additional funds from various government agencies, including NASA, in order to gain voter approval.
In the end, only time will tell what happens.
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