THE FUTURE
The first thing that Gateway will do is make it easier to establish a permanent base on the Moon. “Gateway has a strategic role in really being able to develop a large presence on the lunar surface,” says Pasquali.
This is because it will provide a stable, safe base of operation from which to gradually develop the equipment and infrastructure that will bring a lunar base to life.
“I know, it’s really cheesy, but whenever I look at the Moon, I always think about the fact that we’re going there soon. And then I look at the spacecraft in the clean room the next day and I think, ‘Okay, what I’m doing has a real purpose’,” says Cleaver.
And unlike the curtailed exploration of the Moon in the 1970s, this time it’s being undertaken with a long-term purpose in mind. In November 2021, NASA confirmed that beyond the Artemis 3 lunar landing, the agency is developing a sustainable programme that envisages at least 10 further visits to the Moon’s surface.
And beyond that, Mars beckons. This is one reason why the Orion spacecraft is called the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, to indicate that it has uses other than ‘just’ travel to and from the Moon.
And being well outside of the protection of Earth’s magnetic field, the Gateway also allows the effects of deep-space radiation on the health of astronauts to be fully assessed. Knowledge of this is critical for a journey to Mars, where the cruise time in deep space will be at least nine months.
In short, Gateway is essential to all future exploration. Rather than just getting us back to the Moon, history may look back at it as the gateway to the human exploration of the entire
Solar System.