Science and Sustainability May Clash on the Moon

Question 1

hinge

Answer 1

n. flexible joint
v. attach with a hinge
hinge on=depend on
e.g. For those hoping to put more people on the moon, many plans for future lunar missions hinge on harvesting available resources there.

Question 2

crater

Answer 2

Circular depressions on the surface of the Moon and several other bodies in the Solar System.
e.g. The most resource-rich target seems to be the moon’s poles, where permanently shadowed craters act as “cold traps”.

Question 3

(a)eon

Answer 3

a long time

e.g. Aeons in the making, those reserves could be truly enormous in size.

Question 4

propellant

Answer 4

any substance that propels(drives/pushes forward or onward)
e.g. The ice could be used for manufacturing rocket propellant, fuel cells and radiation shielding—not to mention for producing potable water.

Question 5

nascent

Answer 5

being born or beginning

syn: developing, beginning
e. g. Experts are now debating whether to give a cold shoulder to nascent plans for mining lunar ice.

Question 6

conceivably

Answer 6

within the realm of possibility
e.g. Studies of the deposits in dark polar craters could conceivably provide new information about the long-term stability of the moon’s orbit

Question 7

in situ

Answer 7

in place
e.g. In principle, there should be no real conflict between in situ resource utilization and science, at least at this point in time.

Question 8

conversely

Answer 8

reversely

Question 9

peer into

Answer 9

investigate
e.g. Future explorers could not only peer into the history of lunar impacts but also potentially make new discoveries about the moon’s interior.

Question 10

foray

Answer 10

n. incursion, invasion
e. g. After Apollo 11 astronauts traveled back to Earth from their historic moon voyage, they were stuffed inside quarantine housing—a specialized Airstream trailer. So too were the crews of the Apollo 12 and 14 lunar landing forays.

Question 11

cordon

Answer 11

n. barrier, chain
v. to put or form a cordon (around); close (off)
If water ice on the moon was thought to be rich in past or present microbial life, for instance, it might be cordoned off and preserved for study.