A Lunar Reformation: Current Status and Potential Future of a New Approach to Lunar Return
- Paper number
IAC-18,A3,2A,2,x48553
- Author
Dr. Alexander MacDonald, United States, NASA HQ
- Coauthor
Dr. Patrick Besha, United States, NASA
- Year
2018
- Abstract
This paper will lay out the argument that we are experiencing a cultural ‘Lunar Reformation’ within the international space community that is reorienting our collective efforts related to the Moon away from the all-encompassing strategies of previous generations and towards achievable objectives that stand a good chance of making meaningful progress amidst the rest of the exploration and development objectives that international space agencies are set to remain committed to. We will first lay out a brief description of the dominant lunar strategies that have come before. We will then examine the political and economic signals related to international space programs and private-sector efforts that are suggestive of a shift in emphasis from previous efforts. We will end the paper by laying out some of the policy options that a cultural ‘Lunar Reformation’ might productively embrace and build upon.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)