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A scientist’s inspiring vision of our return to the Moon as humanity’s next thrilling step in space explorationJust over half a century since Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the lunar surface, a new space race to the Moon is well underway and rapidly gaining momentum. Laying out a vision for the next fifty years, Back to the Moon is astrophysicist Joseph Silk’s persuasive and impassioned case for putting scientific discovery at the forefront of lunar exploration.The Moon offers opportunities beyond our wildest imaginings, and plans to return are rapidly gaining momentum around the world. NASA aims to build a habitable orbiting space station to coordinate lunar development and exploration, while European and Chinese space agencies are planning lunar villages and the mining of precious resources dwindling here on Earth. Powerful international and commercial interests are driving the race to revisit the Moon, but lunar infrastructures could also open breathtaking vistas onto the cosmos. Silk describes how the colonization of the Moon could usher in a thrilling new age of scientific exploration, and lays out what the next fifty years of lunar science might look like. With lunar telescopes of unprecedented size situated in permanently dark polar craters and on the far side of the Moon, we could finally be poised to answer some of the most profound questions confronting humankind, including whether we are alone in the Universe and what our cosmic origins are.Addressing both the daunting challenges and the immense promise of lunar exploration and exploitation, Back to the Moon reveals how prioritizing science, and in particular lunar astronomy, will enable us to address the deepest cosmic mysteries.

Lunar bases. --- Space colonies. --- Space industrialization. --- SCIENCE / Space Science. --- Age of the universe. --- Alpha Centauri. --- Apollo 15. --- Apollo program. --- Asteroid mining. --- Asteroid. --- Astronaut. --- Astronomer. --- Astronomy. --- Atmosphere of Earth. --- Background radiation. --- Big Bang. --- Chronology of the universe. --- Colonization of the Moon. --- Cosmic background radiation. --- Cosmic ray. --- Dwarf galaxy. --- Earthrise. --- Exoplanet. --- Exploration of Mars. --- Exploration of the Moon. --- Extraterrestrial life. --- Far side of the Moon. --- Formation and evolution of the Solar System. --- Galaxy rotation curve. --- Geology of the Moon. --- Geostationary orbit. --- Geosynchronous orbit. --- Gravitational wave. --- Gravity wave. --- Gravity. --- Impact event. --- Inflation (cosmology). --- Infrastructure. --- International Space Station. --- Interplanetary mission. --- Interstellar communication. --- Interstellar medium. --- James Webb Space Telescope. --- Jupiter. --- Launch vehicle. --- Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. --- Lunar orbit. --- Lunar outpost (NASA). --- Lunar rover. --- Lunar soil. --- Lunar south pole. --- Lunar space elevator. --- Mars and Beyond. --- Meteorite. --- Milky Way. --- Moon rock. --- Moon. --- Moons of Saturn. --- NASA Astronaut Corps. --- Near side of the Moon. --- Neutron star. --- Origin of the Moon. --- Orion (spacecraft). --- Outer Space Treaty. --- Outer space. --- Payload. --- Planetary surface. --- Planetary system. --- Planetesimal. --- Private spaceflight. --- Project Mercury. --- Quasar. --- Radio telescope. --- Radio wave. --- Robotic spacecraft. --- Rocket launch. --- Rocket propellant. --- Saturn V. --- Solar mass. --- Solar power. --- Space debris. --- Space elevator. --- Space exploration. --- Space research. --- Space station. --- Space telescope. --- Space tourism. --- SpaceX. --- Spacecraft. --- Spaceflight. --- Spaceport. --- Star formation. --- Star. --- Stellar classification. --- Sub-orbital spaceflight. --- Supermassive black hole. --- Technology. --- Terrestrial planet. --- The Space Barons. --- To the Moon. --- Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. --- Venture to the Moon. --- Wavelength. --- Year. --- Commercial endeavors in space --- Industrial uses of space --- Industries in space --- Manufacturing in space --- Space commercialization --- Space manufacturing --- Space stations --- Industrialization --- Colonies, Space --- Communities, Space --- Habitats, Space --- Space communities --- Space habitats --- Astronautics and civilization --- Colonization --- Large space structures (Astronautics) --- Extraterrestrial bases --- Lunar construction engineering --- Moon bases --- Moon settlements --- Industrial applications --- Moon --- Exploration.