Astronomers call for radio silence on the far side of the moon

[Judi Lynn]

News
By Leonard David( space.com-leonard-david ) published 21 March 2024

"We are at risk of a Wild West scenario."



the grey, cratered surface of the moon
The lunar farside as imaged by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter using its powerful wide angle camera. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Arizona State University)

There's a growing and passionate call for preserving radio silence on the far side of the moon.

A first-of-its-kind international symposium is being held this week, turning up the volume to mull over the prospect of protecting real estate on the moon's far side exclusively for dedicated scientific purposes. Despite the moon being surrounding by a vacuum, there's an air of urgency to the meeting.

Held under the auspices of the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), the first IAA Moon Farside Protection Symposium is taking place March 21-22 in Turin, Italy. The goal of the gathering is to set off a wake-up call that engages the global scientific, political, and industrial community to be aware of a growing list of concerns.

Electromagnetic pollution
Earth's neighboring celestial body has the unique property of naturally shielding radio waves generated by chatter on Earth and around it. What some meeting organizer's see is need for a radio silence zone, dubbing it a shielded zone on the moon.

More:
https://www.space.com/the-moon-far-side-radio-silence