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The Lunar Frontier

Artist illustration of a Lunar base with equipment

Video from the Denver Astronomical Society: This talk focused on the future of human and robotic exploration of the Moon and beyond. Since the end of the Apollo program, the justification for the human space program has proven elusive. Dr. Burns borrowed a page from the Silicon Valley computer and commercial space companies to argue for an inspirational approach using new tools and technologies for the next phase of exploration.

NASA’s Orion and Space Launch Systems along with new rockets and landers being developed by private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin will be described. He argued that both the Moon and Mars can be explored through a combination of governmental programs, international partnerships, and public-private-academic partnerships. The tools for exploration include telerobotics where astronauts aboard NASA’s Lunar Gateway in orbit of the Moon will operate rovers and deploy telescopes on the lunar surface in a new synergy between robots and humans. Watch the presentation...