Fly Me to the Moon!

Fly Me to the Moon!

There is a lot of activity going on out there beyond Earth orbit! And now the race is on again to land softly on the Moon and this time to stay for a while.

A quick quiz (answers during the presentation):

(1) How many spacecraft are in orbit around the Moon or active on its surface right now?
(2) How many lunar missions are planned over the next five years worldwide?
(3) How many nations have tried a soft landing on the Moon? What are their intentions?

Come join representatives of The Science Circle’s Moon Base Group for this update on ‘Space Race 2.0′ that will include a brief summary of past lunar missions to create a background for a discussion about the flurry of activity in just the last year, and the real planning that is known to be underway by national, commercial, and other agencies in the next five years or so.

The Moon Base Group will also update what we have learned and done in the first months of the Project, including our dynamically evolving purpose and objectives, our members’ personal (anonymized) objectives for the project, the physical builds you can visit, and where we think we are going from here. You are still invited to join us as we explore this important next phase of human exploration as part of a celebration of The Science Circle’s 15th Anniversary.

If there is time, we will also touch on what is happening beyond the Moon, because the Moon is viewed by many as a ‘steppingstone’ to missions beyond it. Did you know, for example, that there have been 50 missions by eight nations sent to Mars spanning over five decades, and that there may be up to 18 spacecraft currently in orbit (seven active), plus five active missions on the surface?