Who among us would pass up the chance to visit the Sea of Tranquility and re-live Neil Armstrong’s giant leap on the Moon? And what about viewing the Moon Buggies left by Apollo missions 15 to 17? Perhaps you’d prefer wondering along the rim of a vast young crater, or stepping outside your hotel into a lunar Alpine range, with mountains as high as Mont Blanc and Mount Kilimanjaro?
The ideal site for the Accommodation.com Moon Hotel from the perspective of lunar tourism would be in proximity to the Moons most distinguished attractions.
But there are other things we’ll need to consider.
To properly meet the challenges presented by the lunar environment, choosing our location will require consideration of comfort, shielding from radiation and micrometeoriods, safety, daylight, costs, construction, natural resources and minerals.
National space agencies and numerous lunar enthusiasts have already considered our options – taking into account changing conditions from the equator to the poles, and proximity to functional, aesthetically pleasing and historically significant features.
So now, lets have a look at the Moon:
Polar Regions
A lunar base at one of the Polar Regions would have significant functional benefits. For one, the most convincing evidence of water can be seen in its permanently shaded areas. And certain sites receive near continuous sunlight: a number of power collection stations would therefore ensure at least one was in sunlight at all times – a constant source of solar energy. And, considering it’s the Moon, the poles have a comparatively stable temperature.
Peary Crater
Peary Crater at the North Pole has parts of its rim that are constantly in sunshine. Providing all of the above benefits, it is also believed to contain considerable deposits of hydrogen.
Tycho Crater
Positioning our lunar hotel in proximity to the Tycho Crater, or perhaps even lodged into its side, would provide both romantic appeal and function.
Situated in the southern lunar highlands on the near side of the Moon, close, but not as close to the South Pole, it is one of the youngest large-scale impacts on the moon. Predicted to have landed 108 million years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, the crater has a central peak and a sharply contoured mountain, with a central boulder the size of football stadium.
Along with the spectacular vantage point, and the benefits of its polar proximity, positioning a lunar base inside the Tycho Crater would provide some degree of shielding against radiation and micrometeoroids.
Apennine Mountain Range
An equally spectacular location would be somewhere in the Apennine Mountain Range, on the northern part of the Moon’s near side – in this case close to the North Pole.
Among its many towering mountains is the mightiest of them all, Mons Hugens. At 5,500 meters it is higher then Mont Blanc, the biggest of Earth’s Alps.
Mon Hugens looks down on the eerie plains of the Mare Imbrium below, which formed when a massive crater smashed into the still cooling planet, causing subsurface molten lava to rise and pool.
Conveniently, for all lovers of history, Apollo 15, one of the most scientifically successful, and geographically diverse explorations of the Apollo program, landed in the valley formed by Mons Hadley, in the northern portion of the range.
An even more convincing argument for settlement in the Apennine Mountain Range is the Hadley Rille, where investigation of the likely existence of lava tubes could reveal structurally sound tunnel systems in which to base our spectacular Moon Hotel.
Equator
The equator as a whole holds minor benefits, one being the higher concentration of helium-3, a valuable resource for prospective mining partners. Launching spacecraft to Earth would also be easier due to a rotation and orbital advantage.
As recently as March 2011, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) discovered a massive lunar tube 1 mile long and 395 foot wide in an uncollapsed section of a rille. It was in the region known as Oceanus Procellarum near the equator.
Further investigation
But all this is just the beginning.
Accommodation.com will be spending many hours, days, weeks, months and years exploring the moons surface and consulting with experts to determine the best possible site to establish our lunar home.
But either way, with massive craters, underground caves, snaking valleys, mountain ranges, volcanoes, calderas, plains and a surface replete with mini-craters, the impact zones of millions of flying baby meteors, wherever we locate out Hotel, it’s going to be pretty special.
Interested in discussing Moon Hotel possibilities? Wanting to share what you know? Visit the Moon Hotel Forum [LINK].
Ben Connor 