The European Space Agency (ESA) recently bared its ambitious plan of colonizing a portion of the moon. The intergovernmental organization is set to build a "moon village," a permanent human outpost on the Earth's only natural satellite.
Live Science reports that Johann-Dietrich Wörner, ESA director general, revealed the plan of colonizing the moon at the 32nd Space Symposium earlier this month. He said that the envisioned "moon village" is an offshoot of joint efforts among spacefaring nations.
The Objectives Of ESA's "Moon Village"
According to Wörner, the proposed "moon village" will serve as a permanent human base for science, business, tourism and mining on the moon. He also shared that ESA's efforts of colonizing the moon may pave a way for humans to reach and explore the vicinity of Mars.
The ESA director general, however, clarified that exploring Mars is not the ultimate goal of the "moon village." He affirmed that the planned human outpost on the moon, which will be manned by humans and robots, will be accessible by ESA member states and other spacefaring nations.
Wörner also revealed that the name "moon village" was picked thoroughly by ESA to help people understand its purpose. "A village is something where different people are gathering with different capabilities, different opportunities, and then they build a community," he concluded.
Experts Backed ESA's "Moon Village"
NASA administrator Charlie Bolden told the Daily Mail that he agrees with the idea of setting up a "moon village." He explained the ESA's project could help in shielding the Earth from the possible damages of impacting asteroids or comets.
Moreover, Kathy Laurini, NASA's co-chair for the exploration roadmap working group, also applauded the proposed "moon village." She said that ESA has the capabilities to realize its exploration objectives.
NASA will be supporting the establishment of the "moon village," however, ESA will be taking the lead role. NASA is currently focused on sending astronauts to the surface of Mars within 2030s.
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