Might German astronaut Maurer become one of the first Europeans to set foot on the moon? He is hoping. Photo: Federico Gambarini/dpa
German astronaut Matthias Maurer has only just come back to Earth but he is already homesick for space.
His dearest hope is to become one of the first Europeans to walk on the moon.
"It's my greatest dream," he says.Maurer has been home since May after spending six months in orbit at the International Space Station (ISS).
He is pretty optimistic that the first Europeans will soon set foot on the moon and he can't stop dreaming of a shot.
In terms of upcoming lunar missions, the plan is for European, US, Japanese and Canadian teams to build a Lunar Gateway space station over the next few years that would orbit the moon.
Lunar landings from the Gateway are currently sketched in from 2027 or 2028, says Maurer. So far, three flights are planned to the gateway, each with a European on board.
Space researchers increasingly view the moon as a kind of history book that can tell us about the formation of the Earth. Here, the moon can be seen rising behind the dome of the Academy of Fine Arts in Dresden, Germany. Photo: Robert Michael/dpa
Others in the space community "would like to be there just as much as I would", Maurer notes.
What is the appeal, dpa asked him. The possibility of finding answers to some of the biggest questions, the astronaut says.
"What's out there, how did it all come about, is there life out there and how did life get to Earth?"The moon has "an incredible amount to offer", Maurer says.
The space community's interest in the moon has developed markedly since 1972 when US astronauts from Apollo 17 were the last humans to set foot there.
Back then, the moon was seen as "dusty and dry and not particularly exciting", says Maurer.
Now, though, we know better, given the fact that the moon is about as old as the Earth, but has developed entirely differently.
Geological samples can reveal much about the Earth's past.
The moon used to be dismissed as not very interesting in the past but now, the space community is much more keen to carry out lunar research. Here, the full moon rises behind the lighthouse Quermarkenfeuer Rotes Kliff on the North Sea island of Sylt. Photo: Swen Pförtner/dpa
"The moon is becoming a history book for the formation of the Earth," says Maurer.
The moonscape has craters that are up to 3km deep in the polar regions which have never seen sunlight.
Deep in these craters, the "coldest places in our solar system", there is ice, which reached the moon from comets or asteroids, just as water is thought to have come to Earth. That "water ice" may also contain the "organic substances or their twins that probably brought life to Earth", explains Maurer.
If ice could be recovered from "these deep dark holes", that might reveal the "primordial soup" of life, says Maurer.
"That is incredibly exciting scientifically, to fly there and collect these samples."
Collecting those cold samples would likely take time. A space station for humans could be built on the moon in the mid 2030s, the astronaut says. As a materials scientist working for the European Space Agency, Maurer has a major interest in the plans.
After all, the longer term plan is to work on technologies to facilitate a mission to Mars. Water would need to be won, along with air to breathe. Oxygen could also be used, bound up as oxide in lunar dust. Astronauts would also need to produce the technical tools and parts they need, using 3D printers.
European, US, Japanese and Canadian teams plan to build a Lunar Gateway space station over the next few years that would orbit the moon. Then lunar landings from the Gateway are planned from 2027 or 2028. Here, the full moon can be seen rising behind The Shard skyscraper in London. Photo: Yui Mok/PA Wire/dpa
"These are very many exciting topics," says Maurer.A long and rocky path lies ahead first though, he says. Cosmic radiation on the moon is about six times higher than in the ISS, so astronauts would need better protection on longer stays. Also, no spacesuits exist yet that would allow people to descend into the dark and icy lunar craters.
For now, Maurer is gradually preparing for a moon mission.
The Luna lunar training facility is to be opened at the German Aerospace Centre in Cologne in the course of the year and will simulate the moon, says Maurer, who is to be project manager.
European lunar travellers could be trained there, walking on simulated lunar soil, a fine basalt sand acquired from the nearby Eifel region, a volcanic area. The lighting conditions will also resemble those in space and a rope system to reduce astronauts' perceived weight to one sixth.
Anke Rehlinger, the premier of Maurer's home state of Saarland, is keeping her fingers crossed. If he succeeds, that would of course be "great", she says. "A small step for him, but a big one for humanity and for Saarland."
Of course, if Maurer doesn't make it to the moon and winds up joining another ISS mission, that would not be bad either, although it would be a repetition of what he has done before, he says.
But eyeing the future, given the fact he won't make it to Mars, the astronaut has his hopes pinned on the moon. – dpa
