The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) played host to some of the most prestigious lunar luminaries in the nation, as Huntsville observed the second annual International Moon Day with an academic Colloquium that brought together prominent experts and young, rising stars.

The event was a collaboration between the U.S. Space & Rocket Center (USSRC), UAH, and Drake State, which hosted last year’s first annual celebration.

With this year’s theme of “Beginning the New Lunar Journey for Humanity,” The Colloquium kicked off with a series of presentations from students from both institutions, which showcased their research geared towards lunar exploration and even colonization. These projects ranged from materials science and the testing of new compounds, to autonomous construction robots – a field apparently called “Additive Construction” – and even the usage of micro-scale fission generators to meet the power needs of any lunar construction.

Each of these brilliant young scientists interned with MUREP, NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project. MUREP provides financial aid to underrepresented students, such as women and girls, disabled students, and members of ethnic groups historically hamstrung by systemic and institutional racism.

A consistent observation throughout the event was the recognition that the technologies developed in pursuit of these lunar aspirations could well prove to be more valuable – and vital – than the rare materials that could be minted from the moon in any event.

A lively discussion panel then followed the students’ presentation, during which such experts as Dr. Jennifer Edmunson, of the Marshall Space Flight Center, Dr. Kelly Strong of MTSU, and UAH’s own Dr. Dale Thomas, discussed not only the material and economic benefits and challenges of long-term lunar settlement, but also the societal implications as well. More than two dozen national space programs have become signatories to The Artemis Accords, which established prescribed rules governing the international exploration and eventual colonization of space.

The keynote speaker of the event, Dr John C. Mankins, became the Vice President of the Moon Village Association after a career in NASA which spanned over twenty-five years, and where his work with solar power, reusable spacecraft development, and other projects earned him the NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medal.

During his lecture, Dr. Mankins marveled over the sheer scope of the changes that can be done to the moon. “It’s going to be a very exciting next ten years,” he told the audience.

Mankins also reiterated the panel’s earlier point about the role of prestige – or shame – in motivating further acts of lunar exploration. With a slide showing the logos of the numerous

national space agencies around the world, Mankins wryly remarked that the US simply would not stand for becoming mere passive observers as other nations chartered the course of history.

“It simply would not be geopolitically-feasible for the US to look up into the night sky, and know it’s been left behind by these other countries.”

Instead, Mankins presented NASA’s vision of the future – Oasis 2045, a sort of outpost/headquarters that could service the astronauts and researchers looking to establish a radio observatory on the dark side of the moon. With a projected population of 40 residents, the small village would service the needs of other space programs looking to use the proposed radio telescope.

“It’s a staggering aspirational view of what the moon could be like within your lifetime,” said Mankins.

There is infinite promise and possibility in lunar exploration, and it all begins right here in Northern Alabama, where the dream to cradle the stars in our hands has never faded. With the youths of the MUREP program achieving wonders every day, that dream has never seemed closer to becoming reality than it is today.