{"id":23390,"date":"2025-03-06T17:29:36","date_gmt":"2025-03-06T18:29:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23390"},"modified":"2025-03-06T18:30:29","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T18:30:29","slug":"why-nasa-is-trying-to-go-back-to-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/?p=23390","title":{"rendered":"Why NASA Is Trying to Go Back to the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">NASA is aiming to send astronauts back to the moon, because that is what President Trump set as the destination of the agency\u2019s human spaceflight program during his first term.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Dec. 11, 2017, Mr. Trump signed what the White House called Space Policy Directive 1, which stated that \u201cthe United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The people attending Mr. Trump\u2019s signing of the directive included Buzz Aldrin, the second person to step on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission after Neil Armstrong, and Harrison Schmitt, an astronaut on Apollo 17, the last time people were on the moon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Three reasons are often offered for NASA to send astronauts back to the moon:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"css-1le37cb ez3869y0\">\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">Much knowledge about the solar system can be gleaned from the moon, especially in the eternally shadowed craters in the polar regions that appear to hold frozen water.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The moon is the logical next stop for astronauts.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"css-1i3ul0c eoqvrfo0\">\n<p class=\"css-1il0jfh evys1bk0\">The United States needs to get back to the moon before China gets there.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For a couple of decades after the Apollo moon landings, not many people paid much attention to the moon. The moon was a \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d place, a lifeless, airless world of rocks and dust and not much else. Scientists and NASA looked to explore Mars and other planets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"Dropzone-1\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn\" data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The discovery of frozen water in the craters rekindled interest in the moon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Moon water could simplify astronaut missions going there. Humans need to drink water to survive, and water molecules can be split into hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen provides air to breathe, and hydrogen and oxygen can also be used as rocket propellants to return home to Earth, or to travel elsewhere in the solar system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Layers of ice in the craters could also provide a history of the solar system, much as ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica provide a record of Earth\u2019s climate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1336jj\">\n<div class=\"css-121kum4\">\n<div class=\"css-171quhb\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"css-asuuk5\">\n<div class=\"css-7axq9l\" data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-noscript-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">We are having trouble retrieving the article content.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1dv1kvn\" id=\"optimistic-truncator-a11y\">\n<hr \/>\n<p>Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F06%2Fscience%2Fnasa-moon-landing.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">log into<\/a>\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F06%2Fscience%2Fnasa-moon-landing.html\">subscribe<\/a>\u00a0for all of The Times.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"css-1g71tqy\">\n<div data-testid=\"optimistic-truncator-message\" class=\"css-6yo1no\">\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Thank you for your patience while we verify access.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Already a subscriber?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"log-in-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&amp;client_id=vi&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F06%2Fscience%2Fnasa-moon-landing.html&amp;asset=opttrunc\">Log in<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-3kpklk\">Want all of The Times?\u00a0<a data-testid=\"subscribe-link\" class=\"css-z5ryv4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=89WYR&amp;redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F2025%2F03%2F06%2Fscience%2Fnasa-moon-landing.html\">Subscribe<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA is aiming to send astronauts back to the moon, because that is what President Trump set as the destination of the agency\u2019s human spaceflight program during his first term.On Dec. 11, 2017, Mr. Trump signed what the White House called Space Policy Directive 1, which stated that \u201cthe United States will lead the return of humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations.\u201dThe people attending Mr. Trump\u2019s signing of the directive included Buzz Aldrin, the second person to step on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission after Neil Armstrong, and Harrison Schmitt, an astronaut on Apollo 17, the last time people were on the moon.Three reasons are often offered for NASA to send astronauts back to the moon:Much knowledge about the solar system can be gleaned from the moon, especially in the eternally shadowed craters in the polar regions that appear to hold frozen water.The moon is the logical next stop for astronauts.The United States needs to get back to the moon before China gets there.For a couple of decades after the Apollo moon landings, not many people paid much attention to the moon. The moon was a \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d place, a lifeless, airless world of rocks and dust and not much else. Scientists and NASA looked to explore Mars and other planets.The discovery of frozen water in the craters rekindled interest in the moon.Moon water could simplify astronaut missions going there. Humans need to drink water to survive, and water molecules can be split into hydrogen and oxygen. Oxygen provides air to breathe, and hydrogen and oxygen can also be used as rocket propellants to return home to Earth, or to travel elsewhere in the solar system.Layers of ice in the craters could also provide a history of the solar system, much as ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica provide a record of Earth\u2019s climate.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and\u00a0log into\u00a0your Times account, or\u00a0subscribe\u00a0for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber?\u00a0Log in.Want all of The Times?\u00a0Subscribe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23392,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=23390"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23393,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23390\/revisions\/23393"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/23392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=23390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=23390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medexperts.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=23390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}