Human beings are intelligent and due to their intelligence, they have been able to accomplish things that the common minds consider impossible. You can also concur with it that the exploration of space is among the most tremendous accomplishments of human intelligence. But what we see in reality is that though all this the human being has spent decades to organize a mere revisit of a place they had already visited over fifty years ago. I also think that seeing how we term ourselves to be advanced, it is quite ironic that we are grappling to get back to the Moon when we first visited it in the year 1969. I am telling you that it makes our priorities as a species very dubious. I say it because billions of dollars are being wasted in space programs and millions of people in the earth are living with simple issues. However, I would like to tell you about NASA returning to the Moon and my personal attitudes toward it depending on what I have seen and learned.
The strategy of NASA to visit the Moon once again is referred to as the Artemis program and it is named after the twin sister of Apollo in Greek mythology. Previously the Apollo missions had taken human beings to the moon between 1969 and 1972 but since then human beings have never been back. I had assumed that it would be easier to get back to the Moon sooner but the real truth is that it could not be planned, budgeted and politically decided before decades before NASA could seriously consider going back to the moon. The Artemis program got officially announced with the aim of having humans on the Moon once again and this time round NASA does not want to visit and leave but creates a permanent settlement there. I believe that it does sound ambitious but accompanying ambition is the question of whether it will be successful or not rather a plan on paper.
Among the most remarkable features of the Artemis program, I would like to note that NASA intends to send the first woman and the first person of color to the Moon. You might get inspired and I concede it is not a bad move. Representation is important to me and the decision to have various astronauts to the Moon makes a strong statement to the youthful generations that space is for everyone. However, simultaneously I realized that there are certain individuals whose enthusiasm concerning the symbolism is higher than the enthusiasm concerning the true science of the mission itself. They were those individuals that rejoiced on the announcement not thinking of what will be studied and what will be accomplished in these missions. They are not really interested in space exploration; they simply wish to have the historic photograph of a woman standing on the Moon and that is very shallow thinking in my opinion.
The vehicle that NASA is currently using on the Artemis program is referred to as the Space Launch System or SLS and it is among the strongest rockets in history that have been constructed. Earlier Saturn V rocket was able to transport the Apollo astronauts to the Moon and today SLS should perform the same task with the advanced technology. I had not realized the simplicity of constructing such a rocket initially but after reading about it a few times I realized that it was a great feat in engineering. The Orion spacecraft is resting on SLS and it would be used to transport astronauts into space further than the low earth orbit. In addition NASA is also developing a lunar lander with the assistance of the private business organizations such as SpaceX whose Starship ship is chosen to actually land moon astronauts to the lunar surface. Somehow this mission can be stated to not be a sole government initiative and thus a responsibility of NASA and a group of companies dealing with space is a new development unlike in the old times.
NASA is also in the process of constructing a space station close to the Moon that is known as the Lunar Gateway. This station will orbit the Moon and it will be used to house the astronauts prior to their landing to the surface. To my mind this is actually a good idea since by having a station close to the Moon, astronauts will be able to get some rest and prepare appropriately before landing. However, simultaneously the cost of establishing and sustaining a space station in the vicinity of the Moon is extremely high and unless the financing is steady between various governments and political regimes the Gateway may be delayed considerably. I have witnessed this happen on a few occasions where huge space missions are announced with a lot of hype and end up being cancelled or postponed due to budget cuts.
The reason of going back to the Moon in the long term is not to plant flags and take photos. NASA is interested in the moon serving as a stepping stone towards the eventual arrival of man on Mars. I believe that it is indeed a thrilling vision but it is rather daunting when you think of how much things must work in your favor before humans will be able to live on Mars. These were the scientists who devote all their life to resolving such problems and most of them do not get the value they deserve in the society at large. Rather than giving credit to the scientist and engineers involved in these missions people are rather fascinated with the celebrity astronauts who get the opportunity to ride the rockets.
Therefore it is yet to be seen whether the scheme by NASA to revisit the Moon will be successful or will have more delays as time goes by. They never understood the challenges of space exploration were before and the fact that they handle it as a mere checklist is something that will fail everyone in the long run. I suppose it is more crucial to work on the real scientific advancements instead of showcasing the world with historic news releases that take an entire lifetime to manifest themselves.