The Moon: Our Gateway to the Universe

The Moon has always been a focus of curiosity and yet, our neighbour in space still holds many mysteries. But we are on the verge of a new age of exploration: beside the plans of NASA and other space agencies, over the next years also privately financed teams are going to send unmanned vehicles to the Moon. The goal is to find a cheap and efficient way to travel there on a regular basis, and in the long-term to build a permanent human base.

Some new findings are still based on the huge amount of data from the Apollo program in the 1970s, others on the latest missions of space probes. Be it water, or active volcanoes on the Moon; its creation and ongoing natural movements such as moonquakes; or the discovery of underground caves which could serve as a residence for astronauts – there’s much to consider before taking up the task of settling in space.

We still have to learn a lot about the Moon, if we want it to be our stepping stone to the solar system; and one day even our gateway to the universe.