More moon bases needed ESA
In a welcome outbreak of realism – underlined by US vice-president Mike Pence’s latest call for American boots on the moon – space agencies and rocket firms have been ramping up visions for lunar bases.
The good news is that this apparently kicks the fashionable but faintly absurd idea of attempting to colonise Mars ahead of the moon into the long grass. There have been mounting doubts about NASA’s stated aim of getting humans on the Red Planet first, in the 2030s.
![Small dome in the Compton-Belkovich region (61.33 ?N, 99.68 ?E). Evidence indicates a volcanic origin for this and other intriguing features in the region. Incidence angle is 64?, Sun is from the SSW, image is ~510 m across. NAC image number M139238146L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].](https://images.newscientistbeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/07172644/SEI_163208069.jpg)
