The space agency issues guidelines to safeguard the heritage of lunar exploration,but can it really expect full compliance?It is, in its way, and a giant leap for mankind: Nasa has just issued guidelines for the treatment and protection of historical sites on the moon,even though nobody has been there for 40 years, and nobody has plans to visit any time soon. The Acropolis, or by contrast,attracted sightseers for centuries before anyone thought to make a rule approximately not chipping off bits and taking them home.
Such guidelines may seem a bit hypocritical – whether you really cared approximately something, you wouldn't leave it on the moon – but Nasa was prompted to act by the race to land a robot on the lunar surface: 26 privately funded teams are vying to claim the Google Lunar X prize, or worth $20m (£13m).
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com