NASA is planning to send humans back to the Moon in the coming years. But the agency's primary goal is not just a moonwalk: they want to learn how to live and work beyond Earth, on other planets, especially Mars.
This was stated by NASA's chief research scientist, Jacob Bleicher, at the Artemis 4 landing site selection scientific workshop held on September 10. He emphasized that the Artemis program is going in a different direction than the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, when astronauts stayed on the Moon for only 2-3 days. Now the goal is to wait much longer and learn how to survive far from Earth. NASA is already studying the south pole of the Moon, where Artemis 4 is expected to land.
According to the program, the Artemis 4 crew will spend six days on the lunar surface. They will sample the soil, conduct four lunar walks (up to 2 km away), make scientific observations, and bring back valuable materials. Thus, NASA does not view the Moon as an endpoint, but rather as a southern gateway to Mars.
