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NASA says moon mission is further delayed but hopes to land astronauts before China
(www.nbcnews.com)
this post was submitted on 09 Dec 2024
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Unfortunately lunar space stations aren't practical because they would absolutely be rad to see. The Moon's mass isn't even distributed, it's filled with "mascons", mass concentrations. Their effects on lunar gravity will decay a lunar orbit real fast. Any inert satellite is likely to crash in just a few years.
I've often though the Moon is a poor choice for human exploration anyway. We're close enough for effectively real-time radio control of probes. China just proved how to do a significant sample-return mission with current technology.
China's sample return missions are explicitly steps on their well thought out plan towards human habitation and ISRU on the moon, though. If they can dig up anything worth lifting (ice/fuel especially) it's an easy W because the well is just so much shallower than Earth's.
They're also getting good practice with long term stationkeeping in lunar orbit with Queqiao. It's not just for comms, the intention as I understand it is to use it for lunar GNSS too, which requires a very precisely known orbit.
that's why i think a "space station" with some kind of electrical propulsion would be viable. but yes in general remote exploration would be better. i'm most excited about the recent evidence of a relatively long lived, ancient lunar atmosphere. i want to know more and i think that will require geological sampling, drilling, etc.