The proposed Protected Antipode Circle, a circular piece of lunar landscape to be reserved for scientific purposes on the farside of the Moon.
Credit: Claudio Maccone

 

There is pressing need to protect the Moon’s farside, to keep pristine this unique real estate for scientific activities.

FARSIDE project is a proposed low radio frequency interferometric array on the farside of the Moon that could work in concert with NASA’s Gateway initiative.
Courtesy: Jack Burns, University of Colorado, Boulder

Nonetheless, the quickening pace of lunar exploration by multiple nations and the up swell of entrepreneurial space groups eager to seek lunar lucre could well interfere and overtake this viewpoint.

An International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) Symposium on Moon Farside Negotiations was held via teleconference on March 25.

 

 

Spearheading the meeting was Claudio Maccone of the IAA and the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica in Italy.

For more information, go to my new article at Scientific American:

Astronomers Battle Space Explorers for Access to Moon’s Far Side

Without protection from radio interference, a giant observatory on the moon’s hidden hemisphere could prove unworkable

Go to:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/astronomers-battle-space-explorers-for-access-to-moons-far-side/

One Response to “Radio Silence on the Lunar Farside – Frequency Freak-out as Governments, Private Groups Eye Moon Exploration Goals”

  • Geoffrey Marcy says:

    Dear Leonard,

    I’m just passing along a hearty “Thank you” for your extraordinarily important report in Scientific American about the value of the far side of the Moon. Let’s do everything we can to preserve the PAC for a uniquely quiet radio telescope facility.

    Thank you, again.
    Geoff
    Geoff Marcy
    Professor Emeritus
    UC Berkeley

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