Towards a Sustainable Lunar Science Community: Developing the Next Generations of Lunar Scientists and Engineers

Building a Community: The Lunar Exploration Roadmap (LER) as developed by LEAG contains a sustainability theme that focuses on " Extend Sustained Human Presence to the Moon to Enable Eventual Settlement. " Any sustainable human presence on the Moon will require, in addition to commercial partnerships, a long-term investment in future generations of lunar scientists and engineers. Fortunately, due to the recent lunar missions and increase in funding opportunities for lunar science , the number of early career lunar scientists and engineers has grown substantially in the last few years. With plans for future US and international orbital and landed spacecraft, the Moon will become a place of intense scientific scrutiny. But who will build the instruments and spacecraft and analyze data from these missions? Certainly the current generation of established scientists and engineers will play a major role in these endeavors, but who will follow them? The Next Generation Lunar Scientists and Engineers (NGLSE) is a grassroots effort at fostering the growing community of early career lunar scientists and engineers. We are fortunate to be in a position to develop the next generation of lunar enthusiasts with the support of the first generation of lunar scientists and engineers, ensuring continuity of a base of lunar knowledge. The need to foster the next generation of lunar scientists is recognized within NASA, is acknowledged by the NASA Lunar Science Institute (NLSI), and is recognized by the international community (e.g., ILEWG, Lunar Explorers Society, and the Canadian Lunar Research Network). A primary goal of the NLSI is to support " ...the development of the lunar science community and training the next generation of lunar science researchers. " Additionally , the NASA HQ (OSEWG), which is composed of representatives from the SMD, the ESMD, and SOMD, is tasked with the integration of science and engineering for the successful exploration of the Moon. The NGLSE aims to bring early career scientists and engineers together and help in creating, fostering and supporting the next generation of lunar scientists and engineers. Currently with over 150 members from academia, industry , and NASA, the NGLSE is building a representative cross-section of the lunar science and engineering communities. The NGLSE has and will meet twice a year in conjunction with the annual LPSC as well as the NLSI Lunar Science Forum. The NGLSE provides opportunities for social and professional networking among our members and across generations. We provide …