Project Moon Base: A Special Report - IEEE Spectrum

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Project Moon Base

Humans are preparing to build the first permanent settlement in space
Photo of the moon by Alexander Rieber/EyeEm/Getty Images.
AerospaceMagazineProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

The Great Moon Rush

NASA and its partners are already building the rockets and habitat, navigation, and communication systems that will let people live in lunar colonies indefinitely

6 min read
Illustration of moon landers and rockets.
AerospaceProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

Three Steps to a Moon Base

Space agencies and private companies are working on rockets, landers, and other tech for lunar settlement

3 min read
Blue Origin’s BE-4 engine performing a static firing at the company’s West Texas test facility.
AerospaceProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

Blue Origin’s Next Rocket Engine Could Send the First Settlers to the Moon

In a cavernous building in Washington state, Blue Origin workers are constructing New Glenn’s BE-4 engine

8 min read
Illustration of space vehicle orbiting the moon.
AerospaceProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

NASA’s Lunar Space Station Is a Great/Terrible Idea

NASA’s orbiting Lunar Gateway is either essential for a moon landing or a boondoggle in the making

9 min read
An artist’s rendering shows Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s vision for an expanding lunar colony.
AerospaceProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

Engineers and Architects Are Already Designing Lunar Habitats

NASA and the European Space Agency’s plans for moon colonies call for advanced life-support systems and shielding from cosmic rays

9 min read
Illustration of a design for a possible mining operation on the moon.
AerospaceProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

Squeezing Rocket Fuel From Moon Rocks

Here’s how lunar explorers will mine the regolith to make rocket fuel

1 min read
A drone running Astrobotic’s navigation software mapped a lava tube in Iceland.
AerospaceProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

Robots Will Navigate the Moon With Maps They Make Themselves

Astrobotic’s autonomous navigation will help lunar landers, rovers, and drones find their way on the moon

7 min read
Kim Stanley Robinson
AerospaceSpecial ReportsInterviewProject Moon Base

Kim Stanley Robinson Built a Moon Base in His Mind

To write his new novel, Red Moon, the sci-fi author became an expert on lunar colony tech

6 min read
Photo of Apollo 17 astronaut, Eugene Cernan.
AerospaceSpecial ReportsNewsProject Moon Base

Moondust, Radiation, and Low Gravity: The Health Risks of Living on the Moon

Apollo astronauts inhabited the moon for just a few days, but the long-term physiological effects of lunar living could be severe

7 min read
Infrared lasers will allow Orion to beam ultrahigh-definition video back to Earth, as shown in this artist’s rendering.
TelecommunicationsProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

Lunar Pioneers Will Use Lasers to Phone Home

NASA’s Orion and Gateway will try out optical communications gear for a high-speed connection to Earth

8 min read
Illustration of a rover laying down flexible antenna on the lunar surface.
AerospaceProject Moon BaseFeatureSpecial Reports

Rovers Will Unroll a Telescope on the Moon’s Far Side

Astronomers need a quiet place to observe the cosmic dawn

2 min read
Photo-compilation of the moon and four book covers.
AerospaceReviewSpecial ReportsProject Moon Base

5 Must-Read Books About the Moon

If you can’t visit our celestial neighbor yourself, Ian McDonald has some recommendations to give you a taste

5 min read
Photo of Astronaut Buzz Aldrin on the moon's surface.
The InstituteProject Moon BaseIEEE HistorySpecial ReportsNews

IEEE Commemorates Anniversary of Human Space Travel

Many members are sharing first-hand stories from behind the scenes

3 min read
Photograph of a dish at the Diana site.
The InstituteProject Moon BaseIEEE HistorySpecial ReportsNews

Project Diana Honored With an IEEE Milestone

The demonstration prompted the United States to enter the race to space

4 min read
Mrs. Katherine G. Johnson at Work at NASA Langley
The InstituteBlack History MonthWomen’s History MonthProject Moon BaseArticleSpectrum CollectionsIEEE HistorySpecial Reports

Katherine Johnson, the Hidden Figures Mathematician Who Got Astronaut John Glenn Into Space

The NASA technologist received the IEEE President’s Award for her work on Apollo 11

4 min read
Photo of Snoopy as a semi-official NASA mascot.
History of TechnologyProject Moon BaseArticlePast ForwardSpecial Reports

How NASA Recruited Snoopy and Drafted Barbie

The space agency has long relied on kid-friendly mascots to make the case for space

5 min read