Lunar Exploration and the Future of the Moon (C1)

SPACE SERIES · LESSON 5

Lunar Exploration

and the Future

of the Moon

C1 · 90 minutes

What do you see in the Moon?

1. Look at the picture. Is it beautiful? Ordinary? Mysterious?

2. Do you know a saying, song or story about the Moon in your language?

3. Some people believe a full moon changes how people behave. Is that a common belief where you live?

4. Do you know of any other myths / superstitions connected to the moon?

One year on the Moon

Would you live on a Moon base for a year?

YES

NO

The first race (1959–1972)

Task Read the text. Which "first" impresses you most?

During the Cold War, the USA and the Soviet Union competed for prestige, and space was the most visible arena. This contest, the Space Race, was fought first by robots. In September 1959 the Soviet probe Luna 2 became the first human-made object to reach the Moon, by crashing into it. A month later Luna 3 sent back the first photographs of the far side, which always faces away from Earth. In February 1966 Luna 9 made the first soft landing, touching down gently enough to keep working, and sent back pictures.

The United States answered with people. In December 1968 the crew of Apollo 8 became the first humans to orbit the Moon. In July 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 walked on the surface. Over six landings, twelve astronauts walked on the Moon. The last crew, Apollo 17, left in December 1972.

Then the flights stopped. No crew went back until Artemis II flew around the Moon in April 2026, and nobody has stood on it since 1972.

"Because they are hard"

Task Read the quote. Then we'll discuss the questions together.

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..."

John F. Kennedy, Rice University, Houston, 12 September 1962

1. What is he really selling here: a mission, a country, or an idea?

2. He spoke to a crowd in a university stadium. Who else was he speaking to?

3. This line says nothing about the Cold War, the cost or the risk. Why not?

4. Could a leader say this today? About what?

discussion

1. Nobody has walked on the Moon since 1972. What do you think was the main reason?

2. Apollo cost around 300 billion dollars in today's money. Was it worth it?

3. Some people still doubt the landings happened. Why do doubts like this last?

4. Is a race between rivals a good way to get great things done?

The new Moon race

Read Now read about some current moon missions.

ARTEMIS NASA's programme, built with partners including Europe, Canada and Japan. In April 2026 Artemis II flew four astronauts around the Moon, the first crew there since 1972. Artemis III is now a 2027 test in Earth orbit; the first landing is planned for Artemis IV in 2028, near the south pole. More than 75 countries have signed the Artemis Accords, shared principles for peaceful, open exploration.

CHINA The Chang'e programme is named after the Moon goddess of Chinese legend. Chang'e-4 made the first landing on the far side in 2019, and in June 2024 Chang'e-6 brought back the first samples from it, almost two kilograms. The programme's rovers are named Yutu, "Jade Rabbit". With Russia, China plans an International Lunar Research Station near the south pole by 2035. China's own stated aim: Chinese astronauts on the Moon before 2030.

INDIA In August 2023 India's Chandrayaan-3 made the first landing near the south pole, days after Russia's Luna 25 crashed trying. The pole matters because craters there that never see sunlight seem to hold water ice. The mission reportedly cost about 75 million US dollars, launch included. India now plans to bring back samples, and to land its own astronauts by 2040.

PRIVATE LANDERS Companies now fly landers, often carrying NASA instruments for a fee. In January 2024 Astrobotic's Peregrine leaked fuel and never reached the Moon. A month later Intuitive Machines' Odysseus made the first commercial landing, but tipped onto its side. In March 2025 Firefly's Blue Ghost made the first fully successful one. In June 2025 Japan's ispace crashed for the second time.

discussion

1. Who will put people on the Moon next? Does it matter who?

2. Is it a matter of time before nations start claiming ownership of certain parts of the moon?

3. Should private companies lead missions to the moon, or governments?

4. More than 75 countries signed the Artemis Accords; others back China's station. Should a country have to choose?

Living on the Moon

Task Read the text. Which problem looks hardest to solve?

Technology

Money

Environment and law

With almost no atmosphere or magnetic field, the Moon exposes crews to far more radiation. Its dust, regolith, is sharp and clinging: on Apollo it wore through boots and broke seals. Gravity is a sixth of Earth's, and its long-term effect on the body is unknown. Away from the poles, the lunar night lasts about two weeks, which makes solar power hard.

NASA plans to spend about 20 billion dollars over seven years on a base near the south pole. Supporters say in-situ resource utilisation will cut the cost: turning local ice into water, oxygen and rocket fuel instead of launching them from Earth. Critics reply that nobody yet knows how much ice there is, or how hard it is to mine.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty says no nation can claim the Moon. It is less clear whether anyone can own what they dig up, and a 2015 US law saying they can is disputed. The ice is finite, landings blast dust across the surface, and historic sites such as Apollo 11's are protected only by national laws and voluntary pledges.

Build the base

Budget: 10 points

Task You have 10 points to plan the first permanent Moon base. Make one choice in each box (the points are after each option). Write down your five choices, then present your base to the class in one minute: what did you give up, and why?

Power

Shelter

1

Solar: proven, but useless in the dark

1

Inflatable on the surface: roomy, quick, weak against radiation

2

Solar plus batteries: survives the night, heavy

3

Small nuclear reactor: day and night, untested on the Moon

2

Under regolith: shielded, but needs digging

2

Lava tube: natural shield; known ones near the equator; never explored

Site

Crew

First priority

4

Polar crater rim: ice nearby, sunlight most of the month, rough ground

0

Two: no backup if someone falls ill

0

Tourism: visitors pay, but take the beds

1

Equator: easy landing; two-week nights, no ice

2

Four

1

Science

4

Eight: more work, more supplies

2

Mining ice: water and fuel for those who follow