Washington DC, May 28 -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has unveiled a plan, one of the most ambitious space endeavours in history, to construct a permanent Moon base involving robotic landers, moon buggies and hopping drones- before eventually sending humans.

The US space agency has envisaged a permanent lunar base sprawling over hundreds of square miles in the south polar region.

"This initiative will secure American leadership in space, unlock groundbreaking scientific discoveries, and forge the technologies and operational experience needed to send humans to Mars," NASA said in a statement on Wednesday.

"The moon base will be America's and humanity's first outpost on another celestial world," NASA Administ...