Russian Academy of Sciences doubts if it is feasible to build lunar station

MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. The vice-president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yuri Balega, has said he is skeptical about the idea of building a research station on the Moon for economic reasons. "I’m skeptical about the idea of building a space station on the Moon for purely economic reasons. Temperature fluctuations on the Moon are colossal. The dust problem is enormous due to static electricity. A vast lunar research program will have to be accomplished first," Balega told a news conference following a RAS delegation’s visit to the United States. Human beings will be able to set foot on the Moon’s surface only in a very long time from now. In his opinion a manned spacecraft can be sent to orbit the Moon in ten years’ time. RAS President Alexander Sergeyev came out for Russian-US cooperation in dealing with the problem of delivering cosmonauts and astronauts to the Moon. "The availability of a second transportation system is very important. They (the Americans - TASS) are asking if Russia will be able to create a second transportation system. Also, we should explore the lunar space jointly and to mutual benefit and cooperate in creating a global lunar positioning system," he said. At the end of 2018 the RAS Council for Space adopted a concept of the Russian lunar program but at the same time issued recommendations for complementing it. The Russian space corporation Roscosmos said that the program would be carried out in several stages by 2040. Earlier, various concepts of deep space exploration programs, including missions to the Moon had been proposed, with 2030 or 2031 mentioned as likely dates for the first flight. Read more