That's right! NASA is looking at private industry to develop a robotic Luna lander for the purpose of delivering cargo to the Moon's surface.
In an excerpt from their announcement NASA said that the lander
- "could support commercial activities on the moon while enabling new science and exploration missions of interest to the larger scientific and academic communities."
NASA isn't being to clear on what these companies are supposed to do once they get there, but it has rekindled the debate of who "owns" the Moon. Back at the beginning of spaceflight, the thought was due to the exorbitant cost, only governments would ever go to the Moon. Now that commercial is a reality, the question once again is who owns the Moon, can anyone "own" even a piece of it. Should the be allowed to?
My caveat would be that we would have to live with the decision every time we look up. That is stretching it a lot but I do make at least a valid point. Think about it.
New Scientist online has a good piece on this HERE
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