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Space sciences and astronomy

24 Feb 2017

Future space missions and the Earth-Moon system

How the complex dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and its applied and fundamental physics may play a crucial role in the future of space exploration – by Claudio Bogazzi, PhD, frontiersin.org In what has been an incredible week for astronomy and space science a group of seven planets, all close in size to the Earth, was discovered around the dwarf star Trappist-1, in the constellation of Aquarius, only 39 light years away from us. It is the first time that so many Earth-sized planets have been found in orbit around the same star, perhaps warm enough for water and the life it can sustain. Whilst we won’t be visiting Trappist-1’s planets any time soon, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences has just launched an exciting Research Topic focusing on the complex dynamics of the Earth-Moon system and the applied and fundamental physics that will play a crucial role in the future of space exploration. At distance from Earth of approximately 385,000 km, the Moon has always fascinated humans. For scientists, the historic landing in 1969 represented an important step towards a full understanding of the Moon’s secrets, the Earth-Moon system and the challenges and opportunities for the farther exploration of […]