NASA’S Lunar Trailblazer Hitches Ride to the Moon to Map Water for Astronauts
New York TimesMAR 4
SpaceX Launches Water-Hunting Fleet to the Moon
Above: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from launch pad 30A at the Kennedy Space Center, carrying the Intuitive Machines Moon Lander Athena. Image copyright: Manuel Mazzanti/Contributor/NurPhoto via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The comprehensive mapping of lunar water resources is a crucial step toward establishing a sustainable human presence on the moon. It has potential applications for creating breathable air, drinking water, and rocket fuel for future missions. Moreover, this mission shows private companies can revolutionize space exploration by dramatically reducing mission costs and increasing launch frequency.
Narrative B
India, China, Japan, and Russia have all set their sights on the moon, symbolizing a spirit of conquest. This mission heralds a new dawn of commercial exploitation and colonization of the Earth's satellite. Encouraging private players to send robotic landers and rovers to drill the moon opens up a new gate of destruction that will destroy all life on our planet.