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Russian
Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin announced an ambitious new goal for Russia:
building a base on the moon. Constructing a lunar base is an idea that the
Russians have been flirting with for a while, approaching NASA and the European
Space Agency with the idea in 2012. The Russian Federal Space Agency plans to
take the first step in 2015 with the launch of a rover onto the moon’s surface
exploring possible sites for the base. The current plan predicts having a
manned base completed by 2037. If this promise holds true, it will be the first
time humans had traveled to the Moon in over 50 years, the last manned mission
being Apollo 17 in 1972.
Meanwhile,
NASA continues to have its funding decreased by the government, stalling any
lunar efforts of their own. The organization has announced that its current
goal includes a rendezvous with an asteroid, along with the popular idea of a
manned mission to Mars being discussed, although no plans are currently being
made.
