Colonization of the Moon
Concept art from NASA showing astronauts
entering a lunar outpost.
The colonization of the Moon is the pro-
posed establishment of permanent human
communities on the Moon. Advocates of
space exploration have seen settlement of the
Moon as a logical step in the expansion of hu-
manity beyond the Earth. National claims to
the best locations on the moon may eventu-
ally lead to another space race. Polar colon-
ies would be ideal for avoiding long cold
nights and to take full advantage of the sun.
Nations first to arrive at the poles might lay
claim to them, similar to claims made at the
Earth’s north pole.
Permanent human habitation on a planet-
ary body other than the Earth is one of sci-
ence fiction’s most prevalent themes. As
technology has advanced, and concerns
about the future of humanity on Earth have
increased, the argument that space coloniza-
tion is an achievable and worthwhile goal has
gained momentum.[1][2] Because of its prox-
imity to Earth, the Moon has been seen as a
prime candidate for the location of human-
ity’s first permanently occupied extrater-
restrial base.
Should attempts at colonization go ahead,
economic concerns are likely to lead to set-
tlements being created near mines and pro-
cessing centers, or near the poles where a
continuous source of solar energy can be har-
nessed. While it would be relatively easy to
resupply a lunar base from Earth, in compar-
ison to a Martian base, the Moon is likely to
play a large role in the development of long-
duration closed-loop life support systems.
Duplicating the ecology of Earth so that
wastes can be recycled is essential to any
long term effort of space exploration. The
wealth of knowledge gained by extracting
and refining resources on the Moon could
positively affect efforts to build colonies else-
where in the Solar System.
History
Space colonization
• Mercury
• Venus
• • Moon
• Lagrange points
• Mars
• Ceres
• Asteroids
Outer solar system
• Jupiter
• Europa
• Saturn
• Titan
• Trans-Neptunian Objects
The notion of s