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GSA 2018 ANNUAL MEETING & EXPOSITION

Lunchtime Enlightenment

2018 Michel T. Halbouty Distinguished Lecture

Paul Spudis.

Pa u l D . Sp u d i s , Lunar and Planetary Institute, occurrence and how it varies, as well as its accessibility for min-
Houston, Texas, USA ing and what equipment is needed. We must practice and under-
stand both mining and processing, as the polar ice is mixed with
The Resources of The Moon a variety of other substances useful for long-term habitation of
the Moon.
Monday, 5 Nov., 12:15–1:15 p.m., Indiana Convention Center, This view of the Moon and our reasons for returning there is
Sagamore Ballroom 5. relatively new; it signals a new paradigm of spaceflight. This
time humanity goes to the Moon to stay—to use its resources and
In the years since Apollo, we have discovered accessible places build a space-based, transportation infrastructure, an endeavor
in near-Earth space that contain valuable material and energy and future that presents major scientific, technological, eco-
resources. By learning how to access, process, and use these nomic, and national security advances.
space resources we will advance technology, stimulate wealth,
and create a spacefaring infrastructure.
The Moon holds a unique advantage in this endeavor. Areas near
the poles receive near-permanent sunlight ( up to 95% of the lunar
year) ; this resource enables power generation and near-
continuous surface operations in a benign temperature location.
In conjunction with accessible solar power, significant quantities
of water ice reside in permanently dark craters near the poles.
The combined effect of these proximate resources makes perma-
nent human presence on the Moon possible. Through the devel-
opment and use of the Moon’s resources, the creation of a perma-
nent, extensible space-faring transportation system and
infrastructure in space is possible.
Despite this promise, many unknowns remain about the use of
extraterrestrial resources. We need a variety of robotic prospect-
ing missions in order to get advanced, high-precision data from
targeted deposits. Currently, we do not know the physical and Lunar polar lighting. Photo courtesy Paul Spudis.
chemical state of lunar polar ice; we need to understand its

16 4–7 November 2018 • Indianapolis, Indiana, USA