The World Next Door

          Thirty years have passed since man first stepped onto the lunar surface. Out of a total of seven attempted landings on the Moon, six were successful. After less than four years, humankind bid a fond farewell to the Moon and set their sights to loftier goals. In the years following that tremendous feat, talk has been plentiful about traveling to Mars, the next goal in space, but what of Earth’s closest neighbor? Why has Humanity closed its mind to revisiting the moon? Returning to the moon could have many benefits to mankind in the areas of scientific research, mining and colonization.

        The advantages of conducting scientific research on the lunar surface are numerable. For example, the moon would provide a perfect platform for optical and radio astronomy. Because the moon has no air, atmospheric interference is nonexistent. Unlike the earth, light pollution would not be a problem. The Hubbell and other orbital telescopes are not affected by the problems of atmosphere and artificial light interference but they do not provide a stable foundation. The Moon would provide a stable base for a telescope. The Moon would also provide a near-perfect habitat for a radio telescope. Because of radio, television and microwave transmissions, the Earth shines like a beacon in the Electro-magnetic spectrum, adversely affecting radio astronomy on the surface of Earth. Also, the Earth’s atmosphere absorbs emissions in the ultraviolet and x-ray spectra making observations in those wavelengths impossible. Locating radio telescopes on the lunar surface would solve the problems of Earth-based observations. A radio telescope built on the far side of the Moon would solve the emissions problem by using the moon as a natural shield. As with optical astronomy, the moon’s void solves the absorption problem. However, shipping raw materials from the Earth to build and support these observatories would pose a problem.

        The Moon holds many mineral riches waiting for exploitation. Exploitation of these riches could be a tremendous lure for humanity's return to the Moon. The exorbitant costs of lifting even the smallest weight into orbit will make it necessary to find sources of raw material elsewhere. As the promise of gold lured nineteenth century prospectors to the California gold fields, the recently discovered deposits of metal and ice on the moon could draw twenty-first century fortune hunters. Imagine a team of lunar prospectors crossing the desolate wastelands in search of deposits of water ice. (IF) The most promising places, craters lost in eternal shadow, appear to hide from ever-watchful eyes. The team’s lunar rover crests a crater rim. Indications of frozen water register on the instruments. The brave explorers have struck it rich. Another motivation to establish mining operations on the Moon could be environmental pressures. Unlike the Earth, the Moon possesses no biosphere to endanger, no wetlands to drain, no forests to clear-cut, no ecologists to anger.

        Colonization of the Moon could insure the future of humanity. The old adage, “Don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket," comes to mind. With ever increasing concerns about overpopulation, global warming and other environmental worries, colonization appears increasingly desirable. A colony would reduce the dangers of extinction of the human race by providing an alternative home world. If disaster struck the earth, such as, a cometary collision similar to the one that destroyed the dinosaurs, the lunar colonists might stand a chance of surviving. Being the closest planetary body, the Moon is the obvious first step for expanding the human race into the universe. Also, the recent discovery of frozen water near the poles of the moon by the Lunar Prospector space probe should increase the feasibility of establishing a habitat on the Moon. The mining of ice would cut tremendously the cost of operating a colony by reducing, or eliminating the need to ship water from the Earth. The water could be split into the elemental components, oxygen, useful for creating a breathable atmosphere for the lunar habitat, and hydrogen, a main ingredient in rocket fuel. The fuel could be used to power ships to other planets. The moon would be the perfect launching site for human expansion into the Universe. The Moon’s gravity is only one-sixth of the Earth’s. The costs of leaving the Moon’s gravitational pull would be minuscule compared with leaving the Earth’s. Building interplanetary ships in lunar orbit using raw material mined on the surface could make the long talked about journey to Mars possible.

        A nine-year-old boy watches men step on the Moon for the first time. For him, the future holds no boundaries. Nothing dreamed of is impossible. The universe is an open door, waiting for him to step in. The same boy, at the age of twelve, watches humanity leave the shining orb for the last time. The boy knows they will return. Now thirty-nine, the boy dreams of the day people will return to the next door world, not as visitors but as the new residents.