June 1, 2015 – Toronto, Canada
The National Space Society has released an International Lunar Decade Declaration in support of an international campaign to return to the Moon. The campaign will continue its scientific exploration, begin a program of development to learn how to use the Moon’s resources for the benefit of the Earth, and lay the foundations to advance further to Mars and the asteroids.
The 14 largest space agencies currently share their plans and look for collaborative opportunities to explore space. They have created an International Space Exploration Coordination Group (ISECG – www.nasa.gov/exploration/about/isecg/) as a forum for these discussions. This is a voluntary and non-binding process for all of the member countries. Each country decides what interests and resources may be committed to projects of common interest. These countries have published a Global Exploration Roadmap, which describes the activities and missions that member countries are planning in low Earth orbit and beyond.
The International Lunar Decade Declaration calls for member countries of the ISECG to develop a number of projects that would establish permanent human presence on the surface of the Moon. This way, member countries will learn to live and work on another planet and lay the foundations for further human exploration and presence on Mars and the asteroids.
These International Lunar Decade projects can be realized in a ten-year campaign beginning in 2017. This can occur if the largest space-faring countries collaborate to share the risks, costs, and benefits of exploration and economic development in space. This requires the cooperative context of the International Space Exploration Coordination Group.
The National Space Society conducted a Return to the Moon – International Lunar Decade Workshop at the International Space Development Conference®, which was held in Toronto, Canada, May 22-24.
A copy of the NSS International Lunar Decade Declaration can be found at www.nss.org/news/LunarDeclaration.pdf.
