What is it about?
If we establish a settlement on the Moon for the purposes of mining lunar resources (water ice, rare earth elements, etc.), sooner or later the settlement will have to pay for itself. The paper gives a definition of commerce, then discusses the many factors that must be considered to make actual commerce between the Earth and the Moon a reality.
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Why is it important?
There is renewed interest by many countries in returning to the Moon. The economics of such ventures must be considered.
Perspectives
Engineers and space "enthusiasts" tend to assume that the brilliance of their ideas will be broadly recognized. This is not true. While a lunar settlement might seem like a good idea, it will have to compete with other ideas for funding. Sooner or later, such a settlement must pay for itself, or else it will always be subject to cancellation and defunding.
Mr. Thomas M Perrin
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: On Establishing Earth-Moon Commerce, October 2022, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2022-4250.
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