- Courtesy: Lunar and Planetary Institute
Space experts from over two dozen countries met May 31 to June 3 in Beijing. China, taking part in a conference focused on the future exploration of the Moon.
One key output of the meeting was a just-issued set of recommendations noted within a document: “Beijing Lunar Declaration 2010.”
“It was exciting to have in Beijing such a global participation, to discuss the latest results and evolving plans from different continents, and to debate and agree on these recommendations on the cooperative road towards a global robotic village and human bases on the Moon,” said Bernard Foing, a co-chair for the International Program Committee for the Global Lunar Conference.
At the meeting, the latest technical achievements and results of recent lunar missions – from Europe, Japan, China and India — (SMART-1, Kaguya, Chang’E1, and Chandrayaan-1, respectively) – were detailed.
Updates on NASA’s LCROSS impactor mission and the impressive work of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter now operating around the Moon were also discussed.
Lunar Declaration
As explained in the Beijing Lunar Declaration 2010, a number of recommendations were outlined within several categories: Science and Exploration, Technologies and Resources, Infrastructures and Human Aspects, as well as Moon, Space, Society and Young Explorers.
The Declaration explains that while the Moon is the best and next logical step in human exploration, use of space stations are viewed as stepping stones for exploration and human spaceflight beyond low Earth orbit.
A number of robotic missions to the Moon are now undertaken independently by various nations, the Declaration notes, with a degree of exchange of information and coordination. “That should increase towards real cooperation, still allowing areas of competition for keeping the process active, cost-effective and faster.”
In addition, the Declaration observes that lunar landers, pressurized lunar rover projects as presented from Europe, Asia and America “are important steps that can create opportunities for international collaboration, within a coordinated village of robotic precursors and assistants to crew missions.”
Outstanding questions
While there are those that consider the Moon as a “been there, done that world,” the Declaration takes issue with that stance.
There’s a long list of still “outstanding questions”, the Declaration points out, such as structure and composition of crust, mantle, and core and implications for the origin and evolution of the Earth-Moon system; Timing, origin, and consequences of late heavy bombardment; Impact processes and regolith evolution; Nature and origin of volatile emplacement; Implications for resource utilization.
“These questions require international cooperation and sharing of results in order to be answered in a cost-effective manner,” the Declaration states.
The Global Lunar Conference including the 11th International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG) Conference on Exploration and Utilization of the Moon (GLUC-ICEUM11) is being viewed as a historical meeting that demonstrated the world-wide interest in lunar exploration, discovery, and science.
The Moon meeting was co-sponsored by the ILEWG, the International Astronautical Federation and the Chinese Society of Astronautics, with the support of China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation.
For more information on this international gathering of Moon experts, go to:
By Leonard David
