This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiS 148: Clavius Base - Why Clavius Crater Is the Best Spot for Nasa's Moon Base With Dr. Pascal Lee

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Clavius. The very mention of this vast lunar crater brings to mind spectacular images from "2001: A Space Odyssey"— landing spacecraft, alien monoliths, and more. But more immediately, Clavius may be the ideal place to build our first lunar base, and Dr. Pascal Lee rejoins us to explain why. Notably, Clavius is not on NASA's dance card as a first-siting consideration but Lee thinks it should be, for many reasons, including interesting lunar geology, possible sites for permanent settlements—including lava tubes, excellent prospects for transportation infrastructure, and much more. Join us for a fascinating look at the near future at Clavius Base!

Headlines:

  • Blue Origin lays off 10% of its workforce to shift focus to operational flights and Moon lander
  • NASA alters Vera Rubin Observatory biography of namesake astronomer Vera Rubin to remove mentions of her advocacy for women in science, amid the Trump administration push to eliminate DEI references
  • Beautiful iridescent clouds captured on Mars by the Curiosity rover
  • Northern Lights visible on Valentine's Day due to coronal hole triggering geomagnetic storm

    • Main Topic - Lunar Base at Crater Clavius:

    • Dr. Pascal Lee proposes establishing a lunar base at the crater Clavius near the Moon's south pole
    • Clavius offers key advantages: on the near side of the Moon, geologically diverse, open flat spaces for landing/expansion, access to pits and lava tubes
    • Clavius is better suited for a long-term base compared to the harsh environment right at the lunar south pole
    • The base would be powered by nuclear reactors; solar considered insufficient for larger bases
    • Water ice mining at lunar poles may not be economically viable; estimates require excavating huge amounts of regolith to obtain useful quantities of water
    • NASA seems to have concerns about south pole plans; the decision was likely driven more by geopolitical factors than science or engineering
    • Building a base at Clavius could inspire the public as life imitates art, echoing the site's depiction in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey
    • Desert locations on Earth like Atacama or Sahara could provide ideal locations for field testing lunar mobility systems

      • Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

      Guest: Pascal Lee

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