During the Space Age, the United States sent astronauts to the lunar surface six times, exploring a tiny fraction of its equatorial regions. Before and since that time, a handful of robotic explorers have expanded these investigations incrementally. Lunar orbiters have mapped the entirety of the lunar surface in the past few decades … yet this closest of Earth’s neighbors remains just out of reach for habitation and exploitation. But this situation is at a crossroads, with the spacefaring powers of Earth, and many private companies in the U.S. and abroad, poised to reach the Moon within the decade. How will we best explore, prospect, and settle our natural satellite? The Moon session at ISDC will bring together some of our finest thinkers to explore the subject in depth.
Moon
Session Chair Info
Madhu Thangavelu
Dept of Astronautical Engineering, Viterbi School
Madhu Thangavelu conducts the ASTE527 graduate Space Exploration Architectures Concept Synthesis Studio in the Department of Astronautical Engineering within the Viterbi School of Engineering, and he is also a graduate thesis adviser in the School of Architecture at USC. He holds degrees in both engineering and architecture and has contributed extensively to concepts in space architecture, especially dealing with extraterrestrial development. He is the author or co-author of over 70 Read More
