NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine has outlined the space agency’s action plan to colonize the moon. The tentative plan will see US astronauts on the moon once again within a decade. The Trump administration has sanctioned $21 billion in the 2020 budget, and there is excitement in the air. This is a nearly 6 percent increase from last year’s budget and Bridenstine feels it will give a big boost to NASA’s plans of sending humans back to the moon by the end of the decade.

Daily Mail UK reports gradual development of technology has created a viable platform to conquer new targets.

Possibilities are bright of exploring new territories in the next decade, thanks to the quantum jump in availability of sophisticated tech. These will help to carry out an extensive study of the lunar surface. As Bridenstine says, “This time, when we go to the Moon, we will stay. We will use what we learn as we move forward to the Moon to take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.”

US will conquer the Moon

The Gateway orbital platform will be the trump card for the Americans. Construction work on this orbiting lunar outpost will begin by 2022. It will be a part of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. These have been under development over the last few years and the combination could undertake their first manned test flight in 2020.

The basic philosophy is to ensure creating a human settlement on the Moon, which will be the stepping-stone for other missions including to Mars.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine explains that initially, there will be multiple small commercial delivery missions using new landers, and robots.

The ultimate goal is to send humans there by 2028. Daily Mail UK says they will have the entire lunar surface at their disposal. On the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, NASA has got its work cut out. They will return to the Moon and maintain a human presence there.

Natural resources on the Moon

According to Space, Jim Bridenstine was all praises for the Trump administration for clearing the budget proposal of the space agency.

During a presentation at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, he said, "For the first time in over 10 years, we have money in this budget for a return to the moon with humans."

He has to execute the task assigned to him by President Donald Trump and focus on the more active involvement of humans going to Mars. The bottom line is to exploit the natural resources. It seems there are huge deposits of water-ice on the Moon which could solve problems of drinking water. China has landed its robotic probe on the far side and Artificial Intelligence AI coupled with robotics will play a major role in unearthing the magnitude of treasures that lie hidden out there.
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