In early January I had a vision of what could become the next Space Race. This vision was sparked by an Australian news article regarding Russia's announcement of a permanent moon base by the year 2015.
Today we can see a rise in public interest for space exploration that seems to have been dormant in the minds of space-geeks like myself and even a handful of well established entrepreneurs. All this talk about global warming and the rise of mid-east tension could just kick the whole world into another space race and this time it will be a ride that we will never forget. Rising fuel costs as well as over-crowding of our planet give us only one viable option; an immediate push for space mining, exploration, and colonization on a massive scale.
I foresee at least three contested territories within our solar system that could either split our human race even more than ever or bring us all together in peace. I prefer the latter but I'm sure that it won't be that easy. Our future will depend on the choices that we make and we must act now.
First of all, we must go back to the moon to stay because it is the closest planetary body to Earth. Extensive research should be conducted on the moon if we are ever to establish a colony on another planet, like Mars. Establishing a permanent moon base would allow for a drive in technology for all planetary colonization, as well as mining operations, across our solar system and beyond. Today there are plans for setting up huge solar harvesting fields on the surface of the Moon. This project would be used to microwave energy back to Earth as well as all space related vehicles within our solar system and possibly beyond.
Another important space realty property is the planet Mars because it could have harbored life and it is one of the easier planetary bodies to explore. On it's surface there are what look to be dry river beds or canals, which suggests there had been water flowing on the planet. I'm still waiting for the day when we send a probe to the red planet's ice caps. Future human colonization is always possible for Mars, but that could be hundreds of years down the road, although I do believe that establishing a permanent base on our Moon should become a reality before we ever think about doing it on such a far away planet like Mars.
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