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| Thursday / 16 March 2006 | ||
Mex-LunarHab
Project in Juarez Updated; Public Involvement Key, Says Organizer. It
is time for the Lunar Mexico Habitat Analogue Project (Mex-LunarHab)
to create
an outline for its early development, says Mexican Space Society
Founder Jesus Raygoza in a recent email update. He says the city
of Juarez, Mexico is still the best location for Mex-LunarHab,
although others may someday be established internationally. "Think
big,
think public, think education," says Raygoza. Despite not having
the Mex-LunarHab design complete, he is looking ahead to "Phase
1" planning: property surveys, parking, roads, utilities, security,
and facilities like a "bioremediation facility" and a visitor reception
center, which he envisions to include a gift shop, small theater
and lunar simulator similar to NASA's. "If you get these things
right from the beginning, the project will succeed," says Raygoza.
"We are likely to greatly underestimate the enthusiasm this project
will generate," he says. "If we have an interesting project, we
must plan to deal with public enthusiasm and interest." Raygoza
says
the initial design should account for a potential of at least several
hundred thousand visitors a year "who all want to be a part of
the adventure of going to the Moon." He says the project still
needs money as well as support from key individuals and organizations,
but "the whole effort really depends on the impact on the public."
Raygoza writes, "If we do an excellent job of generating enthusiasm
and understanding, the Lunar simulation will actually advance the
agenda of returning to the Moon." He can be reached at jrb_star@hotmail.com.
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