Peregrine mission one, which launched on Monday carrying Nasa scientific equipment to the moon, appeared to have suffered critical problems due to a loss of propellant. But it is just one of an extraterrestrial armada - largely funded through Nasa's $2.6bn Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative - whose aim is to survey the moon so minerals, water and other resources can be extracted to build permanent, habitable bases there. These would later provide a springboard for crewed missions to Mars.
But astronomers have warned that an unrestricted rush to exploit the moon could cause irreparable damage to precious scientific sites. Gravitational wave research, black hole observations, studies to pinpoint life on tiny worlds that orbit distant stars, and other research could be jeopardised, they say.
"The issue has become urgent," Martin Elvis, of the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, said. "We need to act now because decisions made today will set the tone for our future behaviour on the moon."
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 12, 2024 من The Guardian Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 12, 2024 من The Guardian Weekly.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Easter Island Monoliths Face Up To New Climate Extremes
The Ahu Tahai moai, on the east side of Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island, is an impressive 4.5 metres high.
From Bad To Worse How Early Election Backfired On PM
Two days after Rishi Sunak stood in Downing Street to announce an early general election, only for the heavens to open, Tory MPs were still scratching their heads in disbelief.
Secrets Of The World's Most Trusting Country
In Danish society, people feel safe enough to leave their babies and bikes out on the street. How did they get to this point?
Ukraine Can Recover With Bolder Support - But Now It's On The Ropes
The mood in Ukraine is sombre these days.
Stark Warning ICJ Ruling Is Third Blow In A Week For Israel As Isolation Grows
The provisional measures issued by the international court of justice (ICJ) ordering an immediate halt to Israel's military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah represent the starkest warning yet to Israel that its offensive risks creating conditions that could be framed as potentially genocidal.
Why I Took To Cannes' Red Carpet To Call Out Sexual Violence
The 77th Cannes film festival reached its climax on Saturday when all eyes were on the Croisette, as the winners of the prestigious Palme d'Or were announced.
From mains to a sweet treat, how to serve up a thrill from the grill
If you don't have a kamado-style barbecue, what interesting things can you make on a simple grill?
Points of origin
Two takes on Covid's early days-one aimed at academics, the other a 'documentary novel' that mixes fiction and fact to powerful effect
Life after lava
Icelanders are famously hardy, but after a series of volcanic eruptions set houses alight and opened up 20-metre-deep fissures in Grindavík, the fishing town near the famous Blue Lagoon, residents are asking if they'll ever be allowed back home
How Church of England's slavery ties went to top of hierarchy
An archbishop of Canterbury in the 18th century approved payments for the purchase of enslaved people for two sugar plantations in Barbados, documents seen by the Observer have revealed.