On Monday, President Trump active the Space Policy Charge 1, the broad-brush outline of a plan to acknowledgment American astronauts to the moon. The signing coincides with the 45th ceremony of the aftermost time bodies set bottom on the moon: the 12-day mission of Apollo 17 in 1972.
Standing abaft President Trump as he active the charge — see him at 0:37 of this video — was actual Apollo 17 astronaut, geologist and above U.S. agent Harrison “Jack” Schmitt (R-N.M.).
As you’ll see in the video, Schmitt about formed in Moon clay in the advance of his three-day geological acreage cruise to the lunar Taurus-Littrow Valley. While mission administrator Capt. Eugene Cernan’s clothing stands on affectation at the National Air and Space Museum actuality in Washington, Schmitt’s clothing has been put to assignment abaft the scenes, accouterment analysis samples to actuate how abominably Moon dust damaged these suits. NASA’s official conclusions, admitting they accomplish for some dry reading, alarm bolt beat out and metal seals and joints alveolate and denticulate by the hard, aciculate lunar regolith — dust, basically, but dust that's abundant added alarming than the Earth kind.
This was afterwards alone three canicule on the Moon. Plans are coarse and accept apparent abounding revisions over the years, but all of them alarm for abundant best stays on the Moon as a call for closing continued stays on Mars. There are abounding abstruse hurdles to be affected afore any of this can be accomplished — but accepting a handle on Moon dust will accept to be a aboriginal step.
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