the equipment needed to re- enter the Earth's atmosphere." Today's space shuttle program could produce both 1990. And Mark believes that the first small U.S. lunar base could be in place by 2000.
His scenario follows closely the Antarctic timetable-30 years be- tween the "dash to the pole" and the establishment of regular bases on the continent. And just as Antarctica yielded few of its mysteries before the 1957 International Geophysical Year, extensive lunar exploration may not...