ASTRONOMY FROM THE MOON: A LOGISTIC APPRAISAL,

A methodolgy is available for quantitatively evaluating the implications of superimposing scientific requirements on an existing or planned supply support system for space operations. For one application, a detailed scenario was prepared for an astronomical research program that culminates in the establishment of a lunar-based observatory. The scientific requirements of this scenario were then added to the basic requirements for the construction and operation of a manned lunar base over an eight-year period. The numerical results indicate that such a research program is logistically feasible and could be conducted during the next decades. Further analysis suggests that future scientific space missions, in other disciplines as well as in astronomy, can fruitfully be planned in terms of weights and dimensions orders of magnitude larger than those of today. Author