Lunar Living: The Sunday Times Bestseller

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Inside a bench-top oven, the ilmenite is heated to extract oxygen, which is combined with hydrogen to get water. Space company Astrobotic says it's building a "railroad" to the Moon. It's one of a number of companies that want to transport items to the lunar surface.

That psychological angle shouldn’t be forgotten. The first inhabitants of a lunar colony are likely to be very small in number – the Russians, for example, plan to start with two people before boosting it to four. The Lunar Lantern emerged from Project Olympus, a research and development program made possible thanks to a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract and funding from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Consistent with ICON's commitment to developing advanced construction technologies, the purpose of Olympus was to create a space-based construction system that will support NASA and other future exploration efforts on the moon. Why is the US building a space station in lunar orbit? It seems like a legitimate question, given that astronauts got along just fine without one 50 years ago.

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Shannon started to focus on ideas that were viable. “What made a lot of sense was the ability to build a very small crew-tended space station around the Moon,” he says. “Gateway gives you a place for crews to get set up before they go down to the surface. It gives you an opportunity to control remote vehicles on the surface.” It would also act as a safe haven were anything to go wrong during a mission. The administration cited Chinese lunar ambitions while justifying the return date of 2024. Some observers think space-faring nations like the US, China and Russia will need to coordinate lunar exploration to navigate murky legal waters over who owns lunar resources. The other upside to the south pole is the climate. The Moon is a very different place to the Earth, taking nearly a month to complete one rotation on its axis. So on most parts of the Moon, periods of day and night both last around two weeks. Month by month we set intentions by the new moon, and do all we can to bring them to life during the waxing phases. The full moon is the time of completion and illuminating what stands in the way, the waning phase gives us the opportunity for release and letting go. Each month we infuse our intentions with more and more energy until they come to life.

NASA’s Artemis program has sparked excitement around the world and catalyzed new interest in exploring the Moon as the agency prepares to land the first woman and next man on the lunar South Pole in 2024. After that, NASA and its growing list of global partners will establish sustainable exploration by the end of the decade. Woerner’s idea is to start building on the far side of the Moon – the face that always points away from Earth. China also thinks this would be the best location. You need to not only recognise where you are but, with sub-metre accuracy, figure out where you’re going to be and how to avoid obstacles as you get close. All the things that Neil Armstrong did with his eyes and his brain and his hands when he was landing on the Moon, we’re going to have to invest that capability into autonomous landers.” As it falls towards the ground, Orion will deploy a total of 11 different parachutes – most of which are made from a hybrid of Kevlar and Nylon - to slow the vehicle down to the speed of 27 km/h (17mph) required to safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean.Absolutely fascinating. Your book is absolutely amazing, Kirsty. You're one of the best 10 guests of all time.' - Chris Evans, The Chris Evans Show on Virgin Radio .' - Chris Evans Yet that knowledge is still limited, as only a small amount of material was returned from a few lunar locations. A team of permanent dwellers would send our ability to study the Moon into overdrive. NASA will build on the momentum of that human return mission in four years and plans to send crew to the Moon about once per year thereafter. To give astronauts a place to live and work on the Moon, the agency’s Artemis Base Camp concept includes a modern lunar cabin, a rover and even a mobile home. Early missions will include short surface stays, but as the base camp evolves, the goal is to allow crew to stay at the lunar surface for up to two months at a time.