Question: By which year the moon lander of Amazon is expected to take humans to the South Pole of moon?
(a) 2040
(b) 2050
(c) 2022
(d) 2024
Answer: (d)
Related facts:
- Jeff Bezos the owner of Amazon and Blue Origin unveiled a lunar lander on 9th May, 2019.
- This lander would be used to transport equipment, and possibly human beings to the south pole of the Moon by 2024 which was originally anticipated for 2028.
- Blue Origin will weigh about 33,000 pounds (15,000 kilograms) when filled fully with fuel and will decrease to around 7,000 pounds when it is about to land.
Generating water:
- This vehicle has been under development for the past three years. It will be capacitated to carry scientific instruments, the four small rovers, and also a future pressurized vehicle for humans.
- It will land on Moon’s South Pole. It is to be noted that ice deposits were confirmed in 2018.
- Water can be exploited to produce hydrogen, which can help in fuelling the future exploration of the solar system.
Lunar colonies:
- Bezos also outlined the broader vision to build an infrastructure to sustain the colonization of space by future generations of humans and shift polluting industries off the Earth.
- The harsh conditions on the surface of the Moon make the project difficult.
- Once up there, humans need to be secured from radiation and freezing temperatures in structures which will able to maintain atmospheric pressure in a vacuum. They will also need protection from meteorite strikes.
- Top engineers are racing to design a tunnel boring machine capable of digging underground colonies for the first lunar inhabitants.
Links:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/amazon-unveils-its-moon-lander/article27096558.ece