Ruimtekolonisatie

From the Esa website:

SMART-1 has investigated lunar areas at the edge of Luna Incognita. This area near the lunar poles can be used for lunar science studies, or even to prepare for human bases on the Moon and on Mars.

Plaskett crater sits close to the Moon's north pole, on the edge of Luna Incognita.From Plaskett, on the far side of the Moon, the Earth can only be seen from the crater's northern rim for just a few days during a few months every year."A human outpost there, on the edge of Luna Incognita, would allow us to study the effects of Earth-deprivation on a crew in a controlled way," says Bernard Foing, SMART-1's Project Scientist.

"It will allow us to simulate Mars operations and isolation, on the Moon, at a safe distance from a human base at the north pole."