NASA's Plan to Live on the Moon (And What Could Stop It)

Apollo 17's astronauts spent 75 hours on the Moon in 1972. It's still the record. In March 2026, NASA announced a roughly $20 billion plan to build a permanent base near the lunar south pole. So what would it actually take to turn seventy-five hours into forever? Ice hiding in craters that never see sunlight, a three-phase plan, landers that keep tipping over, two-week nights, sharp moon dust, radiation, moonquakes, China's rival plan, and the budget fight in Washington. 0:00 Cold open: 75 hours 0:54 Why the south pole 3:02 Why ice changes everything 3:53 The three-phase plan & Artemis 5:47 Plan meets reality 7:14 Night, dust, radiation, quakes 9:14 A day on the base 10:13 China's plan & the Artemis Accords 11:11 Will it happen? Every fact is sourced. Key sources: NASA, Spaceflight Now, CBS News, NASA LRO/LCROSS science teams, SpaceNews. Plans and dates are as announced by October 2026 and may change. Animation, script and music: Infopanel (original). Big ideas, one panel at a time. Subscribe for more animated explainers on tech, space & the future. #MoonBase #NASA #Artemis #space #explained