Russian moon-base to be constructed before American one
Russian base is to appear on the Moon earlier, than American astronauts land on it. "We are planning to construct the permanent station on the Moon by 2015, and since 2020 commercial production of rare on the Earth isotope helium-3", informed Nikolai Sevastianov, the head of Space Rocket corporation "Energia".
Sevostianov also noted, that in 2015 a nonexpendable spaceship "Clipper" is to be "put into operation", with the help of which flights to the moon are to be performed. The intermediateaim for Russian ship is to be the ISS, which is to be an international space-port at that moment. Apart from "Clipper" intended mostly for people transportation, an interorbital space-tow "Parom" ("Ferry") is to be involved.
Helium-3, the stock of which on the moon is provisionally estimated at millions tons, must become the fuel for wasteless thermonuclear reactor.
Besides helium production, Russian space ships are to perform commercial orders on goods delivery to space.
NASA also considers helium presence on the moon a serious reason for the Earth satellite developing.
Meanwhile, NASA is scheduling the first flight to the moon not before 2018. It is known, that at the present moment, the USA is the only state whose representatives landed on the moon - American aero-space agency sent six pilot expeditions.
China and Japan are also working at the moon base projects, however they are likely to appear in early 2020s.
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