Round-table meeting on such topic of the hour was held within the frame of the Conference on 26 May.

Alexander Kushnar’ov, Yuzhnoye SDO First Deputy General Designer, System Design and Oleg Fyodorov, Director of Space Research Institute acted as round-table moderators.

 Round-table participants made brief reviews on the presented organization activity and studies on lunar exploration. All reports will be summarized and reviewed for publication in Space Science and Technology journal.

The opinions were passed at round-table meeting on Ukraine place in the lunar project. Particularly, the reports by Ukrainian speakers emphasized that our country should not miss a real opportunity to participate in suchambitious international space project. It is not necessarily that this participation should run up to considerable expenses. We could contribute to lunar programs, applying our high intellectual potential and suggesting high-tech ideas on the lunar project implementation.

Arthur Dula paper is worthy of special mention. He familiarized the conference audience with lunar projects cost estimations made by leading American researchers. Arthur Dula particularly noted that lunar exploration would have the commercial potential that means different programs, among which are, for example, space tourism.

All speakers were of the same mind that only united efforts by the world space community could create the lunar base, which would advance the mankind on his way to the Universe cognition and give practical knowledge to the world community.

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Comment by Yaroslav Yatzkiv, the Presidium member of NASU, Deputy Chairman of Supreme Rada, Space,NASUAcademician, on the Lunar Industrial Research Base project.

–  Question of the Lunar Industrial Research Base. What is your opinion? What is the Ukraine’s place in the Moon land settlement project and future prospect?

–  It should be under discussion. It is future, but it is my opinion that the Ukraine potential is not so high to domesticate the moon all alone.  Some time ago we had jointly with Yuzhnoye SDO theSelene project, which we intended to implement in Ukraine: polar satellite launch. The financing terms resulted in failure to implement this unique idea of the Ukrainian satellite for exploration of the lunar polar regions, where water could be found, and where research bases could be built therefore.

 Another step is discussion of the lunar industrial research base creation. It is Yuzhnoye’s excellent initiative, but we should integrate into the world space community with China, USA or the European Space Agency. Those technologies, which we are capable to develop at our best, should be included into the international missions, i.e. we should be accepted as a partner. The same as Yuzhnoye SDO is a partner in Antares and Vega. That is to say we should be concerned in that the Ukraine will be invited to partnership. For example, Paton Electric Welding Institute can make deployable structures – it could be one of aspects. Ourbiologists can build space greenhouses, cultivate there proven plants that could be used, for examples, for food. It is also an addition to the lunar program that is worth suggesting. Something can be done with safety systems or other Yuzhnoye and YMZ systems. We can suggest them to other countries.

It is quite the thing to discuss. We should be an equal worthy partner in this activity that the mankind will launch in 10 years or later; but I am sure that such transfer base will exist on the Moon! There will be an orbital station, such as ISS, there will be future Mars missions training base. It is necessary for the mankind.

We shall never renounce an idea that earlier or later we need to colonize the other planetary systems.

–  Well, will be the Ukrainian flag there seen one day?

–   Will be! Will be!