Sarah Salviander@sarahsalviander
If our permanent presence on the Moon is going to be mid-century futuristic like this, count me in.
If you have no idea what I'm talking about, let me fill you in. NASA is working towards a permanent, self-reliant presence on the Moon with Project Artemis.
This is the answer to all the people who said, if we went to the Moon with Apollo, why haven't we been back?
The only reason to go back was to do something different than before – not just to visit or collect rocks, but to build a permanent presence.
We have the capability to do that now.
Artemis Phase 1 returns humans to the Moon with the first manned landings at the South Pole. Robotic precursors and early missions focus on safe operations, initial exploration, and testing key systems to lay the foundation for sustained presence.
In Phase 2, recurring manned missions will deliver semi-permanent habitats, power systems, and rovers. Longer surface stays begin, building reliable infrastructure and shifting things toward a growing lunar outpost.
In Artemis Phase 3, we cross from pioneering visits into permanence. By the early 2030s, the lunar South Pole will be transformed from a remote frontier into an outpost where crews live and work for extended periods, supported by maturing habitats, power systems, and resource utilization that turn the lunar surface into an actual practical home.
What I love about this settlement plan is that it's actually heading toward operational reality – it's optimistic and unmistakably forward-looking. I'm excited about this – how about y'all?
