All you need to know about NASA's orbital space station

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Nearly five decades after humans landed on the moon, NASA is once again considering possible manned lunar missions.

Last December, US President Donald Trump signed a policy asking the space agency to send astronauts to the moon, just months after Nasa announced its intention to build a space station in lunar orbit.

Since then, the Lunar Orbital-Gateway platform has become a reality, with NASA recently inviting the US industry to help build some components of the lunar outpost as part of a private-public partnership.

Here's all you need to know:

So what exactly is this outpost?

The Lunar Orbital Platform Bridge, also known as the Gateway, will be a space station capable of supporting four crew members at a time.

It should be smaller than the International Space Station (ISS) – which currently houses six astronauts at a time.

Its purpose, according to NASA, is to "become the orbital outpost of robotic and human exploration operations in remote areas", while facilitating scientific and commercial activities on and around the moon.

How does NASA plan to build the bridge?

The NASA SLS rocket is under construction.
NASA SLS rocket under construction (Nasa)

NASA's plan is to use the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion's Deep Space capsule – which are still under construction – to transport key components of the bridge and build it into orbit.

The first piece of this outpost – which will be the Electricity and Propulsion Element (EPI) that will be used to generate electricity for the bridge – is expected to be launched in 2022.

Provided everything goes as planned, other key elements, such as a crew housing module, a robotic arm and an airlock, will follow as part of phased missions. .

What will the bridge do?

The station will serve as a starting point for lunar explorations and will eventually facilitate manned missions on Mars.

According to NASA, the Gateway missions will enable them to "develop new techniques and apply innovative approaches to solving problems in preparation for longer missions away from Earth."

This would mean conducting scientific experiments aboard the catwalk – as currently do members of the ISS crew.

William Gerstenmaier, NASA's Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, said: "The gateway could support robotic or partner missions on the moon's surface or in a lunar high orbit to support missions from the system. solar."

How will the bridge reach the moon?

Moon
The bridge will put into orbit the moon (Nasa)

NASA plans to assemble the bridge in an extremely elliptical orbit that will bring the station within 1,500 km of the lunar surface to the closest approach and up to 70,000 km.

The elliptical orbit, which is expected to last six days, will allow the bridge to stay out of the shadows of the moon to ensure uninterrupted communication with the Earth.

When is it likely to happen?

Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway Concept.
An artist impression of living in space (Nasa)

If all goes as planned, the bridge could be ready to welcome astronauts by the middle of the next decade, according to NASA.

Jason Crusan, director of advanced exploration systems at NASA, said: "Since the directive was issued in December to return to the moon, the agency has made giant strides with lunar exploration projects and robotics.

"This is an exciting time for NASA, and we look forward to partnering with US industry and international partners to lead the return to the moon and beyond."

How was the answer?

ISS
The International Space Station (NASA)

While the lunar station should be the result of inter-agency cooperation, with the involvement of the Russian space agency Roscosmos and the Japanese space agency, the plan has been criticized.

Former ISS astronaut, Terry Virts, believes that the gateway is not an effective next step in manned flights beyond the Earth's orbit after the ISS .

Writing on Ars Technica, he said: "In the case of this gateway, there is no concrete objective of manned flights.

"Instead, there is simply a fuzzy promise of having an" ecosystem "of capability in orbit around the moon that will eventually allow humans to travel to Mars."

Meanwhile, Robert Zubrin, aerospace engineer and founder of the Mars Society, is of the opinion that it is not necessary to have a space station in lunar orbit.

In writing in the National Review, he said, "If the goal is to build a lunar base, it should be built on the surface of the moon.

"That's where the science is, that's where the protective material is, and that's where the resources to produce the propellant and other useful things are."

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