Why Russia is a base on the moon

Russia needs a space research base on the moon or lunar orbit, said Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. In his opinion, such a project will serve as a super -prize for the space industry and will help to solve the problems in the industry. The project, the Deputy Prime Minister, will be sure of science and technology and will become an incentive for further achievements in the cosmic sphere: "It will be a base for further jumps and jumps."

PublicPost found out from experts whether Russia needs a lunar base and how much this project is now implemented.

Yuri Karash, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky

"All that we can do on the moon is to repeat the American Apollo program. As you remember, this year the first step of the man on the moon was already 43 years old, and 12 people visited the natural satellite of the Earth, and they were not easy to visit, and almost half a ton of samples of stones and soils. Astronauts from the final expedition to the moon," Apolon-17 ", stayed there, stayed there. Three days, there is already a scientific base, a scientific station, please!

If Russia is rushing to carry out this project with "Apollo" pace, as was the case in the USA in the 60s, then God forbid, in 10 or 12 years, at best, it matures to deliver a person to the moon. By this time, the American lunar program will be fulfilled for more than half a century. Therefore, the idea of ​​Rogozin can be called: "Go to the past." Now humanity on the moon does not have any tasks, for the sake of which it would be necessary to create a technique different from the "Apollon". No matter what they say there, it will be the same “Apple”, only a side view.

That is, why make the development of domestic cosmonautics by other people's technologies of centuries -aforestanding? Dmitry Olegovich understands this or does not understand? The fact that the USSR and Russia have never landed on the moon do not yet make this landing innovative goal. Remember that in the 60s, the Soviet Union almost on equal terms fought against the United States for victory in the lunar race. If the N1L3 program had not been closed, then with a high degree of probability, Soviet astronauts would have landed on the moon in the first half of the 70s. That is, even then, Soviet space science and technology were able to solve this problem. So why return to her now? Now the Russian astronautics is technically and morally ready to move into distant space, to Mars. And there is money in Russia too ...

Just this question I wanted to ask you. Rogozin said that he did not consider a critical situation in the space industry: "There is no systemic crisis." Is it so?

What is a "system crisis"? This is a fairly vague definition: for someone a systemic one, but for someone not. I believe that in our country we have a systemic crisis with science and technology in general, because, despite all the beautiful words about the importance of this area of ​​human activity, the entire development strategy of our country is still based on oil and gas production. A few days ago, Dvorkovich said the phrase that scared me. He said: "Do not worry, our budget is drawn up with the expectation that oil prices can fall to $ 60 per barrel." He himself does not understand what he said! He actually made everyone clearly understand that we, both depending on the conjuncture of world oil prices, are dependent. That's all. These are the main results of the existence and development of the so -called new independent Russia over the past 20 years: we got on the oil needle and do not get off it. Therefore, from this point of view, the systemic crisis is in the country, science and technology. And astronautics, this is an integral part of science and technology.

If a boy, a child, is not allowed to study at school, then how can one expect that Kolmogorov, Lobachevsky or a Keldysh will grow out of him? If, in principle, concern for science and technology does not manifest, then why should you wait for miracles from astronautics?

Igor Korotchenko, editor -in -chief of National Defense magazine

Russia is really needed at the moment?

This is necessary, as it will allow us to reach new heights in the field of space activity and create unique technologies necessary to consolidate the positions of Russia as a global space power. The lunar base will become a nationwide project, large -scale, powerful, capacious, and this will benefit Russia and those countries that may be joined to solve this problem.

At the current stage, such a task is technically implemented?

Yes, but it must be borne in mind that this will be done for at least ten years.

How critical is the situation in the Russian space sphere now. Is there a systemic crisis?

There is no system crisis. Perestroika, tightening control and targeted financing are needed. And then everything will be fine.

Vyacheslav Linkin, chief researcher at the Institute of Space Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences

What could be the practical significance of such a lunar base?

This question has two sides. With one - there is an interest in using the moon as a platform for scientific observations. What is it connected with: the moon as a body shields noise that interferes with the equipment that can be installed on its surface. The conditions for observing distant sources there can be better than in the earth's orbit, because the Earth serves as a source of noise for receiving, for example, electromagnetic radiation, etc. This idea has long been discussed.

But, on the other hand, the idea to use the base on the moon for intermediate construction and assembly of spacecraft that will fly further - to Mars or to other places of the solar system, is not very promising. To do this, you need to sit on the surface of the moon, spending energy, use missile engines, then take off ... do the assembly in orbit more efficiently.

Will such a project be implemented now?

Certainly! Although this does not mean that the project is very simple. We have already landed on the moon, our devices traveled there, we can do it. Or they knew. But now a new generation has been replaced, there are no such specialists. We broke it out, lost contact ... Such a gap was also observed in NASA, when suddenly several failures occurred in the study of Mars. Why? Yes, because the group responsible for ballistic support, a very qualified group, was reoriented to something else. New experts appeared who, roughly speaking, did not fill their cones, did not feel responsibility in solving problems. I think that we have this problem, although so obviously we may not yet feel it. So we will solve the problem, of course, but not so as to just take, make a decision, and then think that everything will be okay.