Moon Bases

The Japanese government has made a committment to developing a robotic moon base at the lunar south pole by 2020. I think that is a noble goal but I doubt that robots can learn to pick up dropped tools, fix crossthreaded bolts, and solve other complex tasks by then. The amateur experimental scientists around the world are advancing the robotic art by developing printing machines that can lay down layer upon layer of sprayed on plastic until a whole 3 dimensional plastic part is created. But much more work needs to be done before robots can pick up these created plastic parts and assemble them into useful machines in outer space. And the fabrication of necessary metal parts is much more difficult than plastic.

I think a good strategy for the Japanese would be to find a crater near the lunar south pole and place two tempered glass domes over it. Small meteorites might crack the first dome but the second one should be able to resist the remaining impact force and still contain the artificial atmosphere for the base colony. The craters have small amounts of water in them in the form of ice and that can be used to create breathable air and even rocket fuel. So the concept is technologically valid. Go Japan, more power to you. I still want to go to Phobos and scoop up all of that ancient advanced technology.

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