Geologist Harrison Schmitt on the Moon ... the satellite is a bountiful source of Helium-3, which could power fusion reactors.
Credit: NASA
CAPE CANAVERAL, USA: Forty years after men first walked on the Moon, and as the United States prepares to return astronauts to Earth's nearest neighbour by 2020, it remains an object of fascination and curiosity.
Part of the goal of once again returning to our only satellite, and establishing bases there, is to learn more about its hidden natural resources.
"The Moon still has a great deal of scientific information left to be discovered that relates directly to ... our understanding of the history of the Earth and early history of other planets," said geologist Harrison Schmitt, the first scientist to walk on the Moon.
Last manned mission
Schmitt landed on the Moon in 1972 aboard the Apollo 17, the last manned mission to ever touch down on the lunar surface. He is among an elite group of 12 Americans who are the only people to have walked on the Moon.
Among the 382 kilos of rocks and lunar soil brought back by astronauts from the moon during six Apollo missions is a rock that scientists call 'genesis', which dates back to around 4.5 million years ago, about the time when the Solar System began.
The Moon, which has virtually no atmosphere, is effectively a geological blank slate for scientists because it has not had the contact with water and air that has changed the Earth's surface.
"One reason to go back to the Moon is to find out whether there is anything of value to be done there ... If the answer is yes, you can do economically valuable things and use local resources," said John Logsdon, a curator at Washington's National Air and Space Museum.
Constellation program
America's new lunar program, dubbed Constellation, was announced in 2004 with the intention of establishing a forward operating station for astronauts as well as to seek evidence of water beneath the moon's ground ice.
U.S. President Barack Obama has appointed a commission to review the program's cost and goals, but the launch last month of two preparatory lunar modules suggests it is likely to proceed in some form.
Several other countries, including China and Russia, have announced their ambitions to send missions to the Moon, which is 384,400 km from Earth - about a four-day trip by space shuttle (if it had the capability to get there - which it doesn't).
"I think you will see at least Antarctic-like scientific outposts and maybe even larger facilities on the Moon, with people spending long durations of time there," Logsdon said.
