CHAPTER 2
SURVIVING, PERFORMING, AND PROSPERING OFFWORLD
Although all living quarters had provisions for microwave ovens, snack bars, and
beverage storage, LUNA WORLD dwellers were encouraged to take their meals together
in one of the various dining areas or small food dispensaries. Such socialization was
considered essential for morale and for countering the “overview effect.”* Thus, the Class
of 2050 had decided to breakfast together the next morning in the cafeteria of Luna
University where their on-site orientation sessions were being held.* The team had
agreed to Chris Negurela’s suggestion that as new arrivals, they should do this throughout
their first week’s briefing period. Their consensus had been that these get-togethers
advance their adjustment, enabling them to help one another. In their previous year
together at the Academy, the six of them already had become an effective team with an
esprit de corps. The members used “nick names” with each other, and some had formed
very close friendships. As a group, they even dubbed themselves the ”Fifties” to mark
their reaching the Moon on New Year’s Day, 2050.
LUNA UNIVERSITY – Gene Cernan Conference Center, January 2, 2050
So when the newcomers gathered for their second luna day and ordered food, they
conversed rapidly about their impressions of yesterday. Oleg Alifonov got immediate
feedback when he asked for reactions to their experiences so far on the Moon. The
*
Overview effect is comparable to culture shock that may be experienced when in a strange or alien
environment. The term “lunar” is used here to refer to the Moon’s natural state, while “luna” signifies a
man-made entity on the Moon, under its surface, or in its orbit.
67
gregarious Dip Banerjee summed up their feelings, I was wiped out by the time I got to
bed. So much happened to us yesterday, especially at the evening banquet.
Laura Kavanu, the new space psychologist, admitted, But we had no time on the
Moon’s surface. When we touched down at the Aldrin spaceport, our lunar lander
whisked us right into underground facilities. I can’t wait to get topside and view a lunar
dawn. It’s been described as breathtaking because the difference between day and night
is almost instantaneous. I want to be able to see ever beautiful Earth with its glorious
blue halo. Laura had yet to fully appreciate that the lunar surface provided hazards for
humans, even when wearing a protective space suit.
Better you used the observation decks to view our home planet, Oleg Alifanov
suggested. The Moon’s surface is hostile to all life.
Well, we are not going to get up to the lunar surface until we master the latest
version of biosuits with all their life support gadgets, countered Meg McArthur. That’s
going to be part of today’s training. Until we learn to walk properly and survive in one of
those outfits, we’ll be “undergrounded!” Before departing the Earth, their Academy staff
had fully indoctrinated them on health and safety regulations for surface jaunts. No one
could ever go up alone, and always had to have a buddy. Their luna suits were selfcontained ecology systems that now lasted up to 100 hours on the surface. This
pressurized garb provided users with adequate oxygen, heating/cooling, water and waste
storage, food concentrates and communication links. The portable life support protected
them from vacuum and temperature extremes, but not from the effects of cosmic
radiation. On the outside, the attire also had provisions for carrying lights, tools, and
other equipment. Their problem was this group had never practiced on this current model
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of lightweight bio-suit developed recently at MIT. The new generation of space suits
could be donned and doffed more rapidly, with greater dexterity and comfort.
M.I.T. BIO-SUITS – latest version for use on the lunar surface.
Pedro Raygoza stared longingly at Meg who was a few years older than him/
That Irish girl always stirred his manhood. Speaking of upcoming training, he noted, have
you guys seen our schedule in that L-pod they gave us? He held up his electronic guide
with its seven-day outline. Smiling, he observed, Thank heavens, we are following Earth
time and days instead of lunar days. This way our on-site orientation is only a week, not
almost a month!
69
Tu Yang quietly replied, But that is LIDC’s requirement for permanent residents
like us. The contractors, visitors, and tourists spend less time in this orientation. As the
spacefarers reviewed their agenda, Yang pointed to the outline, We’re going to be very
busy, constantly learning by doing in the week ahead.
LUNA UNIVERSITY
2050 – ON-SITE ORIENTATION
DAY
1
Introduction: Dr. Colleen Maher, Dean of Orientation
- Opening Welcome: Dr. Thomas Matula, Chancellor
Presentations: Living in an Underground Multicultural Community – Dr.
Laura Kavanu….. Interdependence of Earthkind and Spacekind –
Dr. Sergri Kostolani….Precautions on Safety, Emergency, and Bio-suits
– Dr. Eric Schrunk…. Effectively Using Multiple Communications Systems.
- Dr. Keiko K. Ouchi, LU Professor of Communications Systems.
Field Work: Selenopolis city tour - how to utilize facilities and resources,
particularly of Krafft Ehricke Lunar Industrial Park. . Lunar surface practice
while touring Malapert Mountain site.
2
Presentations: Effective use of the Automation and Robotics Corps – Dr. Daniel
Greenwood, Director.
Field Work: Lunar mass driverr trip to historic Apollo Tranquility Base Park..
________________________________________________________________________
3
Presentations: Lunar history, geography, geology, and resources - Dr.
Koichi Shiteda….Luna Enterprise - Industrialization and commercial
opportunities.- Dr. Hideo Iwama.
Field Work: Virtual reality tour of historic Lunokod Missions Park –
at Lunagrad on East side of the Moon.
________________________________________________________________________
4
Presentations: Luna governance and astrolaw – Judge George
Robininson….Role of the Peacekeeping Corps – Capt Woody Sears.
Field Work: railroad trip to John F. Kennedy Luna Base at
Shackleton Crater.
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Presentations: Symposium at LIDC administrative center –
5
The role and scope of the Lunar Infrastructure Development
Corporation in micromprojects at LUNA WORLD – Liam Harris, Director.
Field Work: tour of Eastasia facilities and services….
Community Reception.
_______________________________________________________________________
6
Presentation: Luna science and astronomy. Dr. W. G. Harris
Field Work: Luna rover trip to the Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Science Center and Observatory… tour of Euromer facilities and
services….Community Reception.
________________________________________________________________________
7
Presentations: Human Factors and Health in LUNA WORLD Drs. Lara Tescano and Lucy Joile…..Luna Culture, Services and
Environment – Polly Henderson, Director of Social Services.
Field Work: tour of laboratories at Martha Rogers Wellness Center
Evening Ceremony: Luna University - course conclusion and bestowal
of Selenian certificate and patch…. Inauguration of new University Chancellor .
Hey, guys, it’s almost 0900, yelled Laura Kavanau. Suddenly the group jumped up,
heading for the University’s Cernan Conference Center.
***
Dean Colleen Maher greeted the audience of newcomers, “Happy New Year!”
She told all the new arrivals she hoped their presence on the Moon would be a mindstretching experience. The Dean then quoted Gene Cernan, Apollo 17 mission
commander, the last person to leave the lunar surface in 1972: I have lived in Camelot.
The destiny Apollo forged remains for the future. It lives in a tomorrow that will one day
dawn, just as I did for the days of our landing on the Moon. Col further commented: That
astronaut after whom this Center is named would be pleased to see you here today. You
71
hundred earthlings are part of the tomorrow he predicted! Whether you are here as a
permanent resident, or a post-doc visitor, contractor, or tourist, the intensive course you
are about to undertake is essential if you are to survive, perform, and prosper here on our
sister planet! You are here to advance a spacefaring civilization that benefits humanity
on Earth, while advancing knowledge as you open this endless frontier! She paused for
that message to penetrate, then continued: Just remember our mentoring staff will assist
in your adjustment and learning. I hope your second day on the Moon, and this first day
of orientation prove to be enlightening for you all.
Dr. Maher reminded them that the
material in this survey course would build upon what they had already learned the past
year in Unispace Academy back in Hawaii. Graduate credit could be gained for this
orientation through the University’s admission director. She explained to them that the
methodology used in the next seven days would be action learning – a combination of
live and electronic presentations for input; field trips and other group processes for
interaction among the participants; and filling out of some instruments, such as
questionnaires and other data gathering on their adjustment.. Finally, the Dean introduced
Dr. Thomas Matula, retiring chancellor of Luna University.
The scholarly but pragmatic professor greeted them all warmly. He pointed out
that Luna University was primarily for graduate studies and research, although
dependents of residents could enroll for either undergraduate degrees or continuing
education. Children attended LU’s Christa McAuliffe Academy. Dr. Matula explained
that the University’s core faculty was supplemented by the post-doctoral fellows who
taught the majority of courses, in addition to guest lecturers from among the many
knowledgeable Selenians, or by expert instructors from partner universities on Earth
72
available through electronic communications. He ended by emphasizing, Learning at
this University does not occur primarily in classroom, but in hands-on fieldwork and
research, as well as electronic exchange among Selenians and Earth specialists.
Remember, this institution is a branch of the International Space University, and
operates with the cooperation of a global university consortium back on our home planet.
If you are interested in advanced graduate studies at LU, you can be connected to the
greatest professors in your field back on Earth, or here on the Moon. When you finish
this course, I will retire and one of your classmates will succeed me as the new LU
chancellor. Dr. Christina De Negurelua, please stand so the audience can see my
successor here in our knowledge center. After his replacement acknowledged their
applause, Tom concluded, Now let's begin your interactive learning experience on how to
live and work effectively on the Moon and beyond!
***
Capt. Woody Sears was known to his colleagues as a “straight shooter” – a nononsense, competent professional. The burly man with Southern charm was always
talking about his “heroes” – those mentors who had furthered his career, and made it
possible for him to be director of the Luna Peacekeeping Corps. The ex-Marine was also
fiercely dedicated to upholding the “rule of law” in all of LUNA WORLD. Thus, this
morning he was reviewing the roster of participants in the first orientation session for
year 2050.
There were about 100 in all – six permanent residents; seventy-five
contractors with special assignments; fifteen visitors, mostly post-docs here for two year
stints on the Moon, and four tourists. He was concerned that LIDC policy now called for
a dramatic increase in tourists over the next fifty years. Woody wondered if he would
73
have sufficient personnel to cope with their increasing numbers and needs. But one
tourist now undergoing a short training course puzzled him. He scanned her bio on his
optical computer, along with a background check, which confirmed that Chanya Kurakit
really was a detective in the Royal Thailand Police Department. He’d also discovered that
her Commander had arranged for her to come to Selenopolis as a tourist doing a study of
on lunar security policies and practices. But this new arrival had made him suspicious,
especially when Interpol investigation revealed that her boss was being bribed by
international gem cartels. So he had called in an elite PC member, Lt. Dennis Harios, a
red head from El Salvador.
Lieutenant, Woody began, since you are an expert in lunar gemology, I have an
undercover assignment for you. I’ve arranged for you to join the current orientation
group as a contractor. Since you are an attractive Latino male, I’d like you to cultivate a
friendship with a Thai lady in this group. She’s an Oriental charmer whom I suspect of
being after lunar gems for nefarious purposes. He then gave Harios, his print folder on
Chanya Kuriat, while instructing him on how to proceed: Convince that you are here as a
lunar gem miner and developer. Then we’ll watch as she seeks to seduce you, and
possibly get you to help her in some illegal operation. Wear one of those miniature
recording devices on your contractor badge. When you have some solid evidence, report
back to me. Incidentally, I got tip on prospect for potential criminal behavior by shortterm contractor from South Africa. . That covert surveillance task has been given to Sgt.
Dave Shusta, so you two may wish to compare findings.
Dennis stood up, saluted, and said, OK, boss, sounds like a juicy assignment!
***
74
KRAFFT EHRICKE LUNA INDUSTRIAL PARK
- an interior, underground view
The opening day of orientation did indeed prove to be intensive. With their
mentors to guide them, the new arrivals toured the whole of their spacious underground
city. The air conditioning, heating, and lighting were centrally controlled, as in
subterranean malls of Montreal and Toronto. The vast Armstrong astrodome and
university campus were impressive in themselves. But newcomers were fascinated by
the luna industrial park built according to the plans of Krafft Ehricke, a German rocket
scientist from the early days of the space program. This principal work center, named to
honor his memory, adjoined the main city and was actually quite striking with its
subsurface chambers, various factories and offices, elevators to observation decks and
viewing windows. Its central mall was alive with beautiful plants and trees with murals of
milestones in the Space Age. It was a critical component of Selenopolis, the huge
complex built in a crater and covered with lunar rock and soil shielding. The Park’s
facilities on the surface were run by robotnauts from the A & R Corps, but had shielded
75
shelters to protect technauts from cosmic rays and solar flares when aloft.
*
A luna
texshield made of lightweight polymer material was like a blanket of sorts which covered
an outpost, deflecting radiation, while generating and storing power.
In Selenopolis’ main plaza, also covered with a unique type of greenery, there
were retail shops, dining places, entertainment centers, as well as research laboratories.
The elongated structure had been built largely with lunar concrete, made right here in one
of many manufacturing plants. Shafts of sunlight from the surface above created a
pleasing mosaic on the surrounding walls. At either end of the Yuri Gagarin Mall were
the well-designed residential communities of Euramer and Eastasia where more dining,
recreational, and fitness services were also provided. The biologists among them were
really impressed by the central life support facilities for these underground structures.
The whole urban area beneath the lunar surface had optical computer-monitored,
temperature controls and sensors for heat, air conditioning, lighting, and other amenities.
However, the engineering types were most impressed by the elevated monorail system
which provides the main transportation within the city. Despite the water scarcity, the
group was amazed by a large reservoir with its moisture dome roofing that not only
supplied drinking and industrial water, but had sections for swimming and even boating
on a lake.
The Class of 2050 were all famished when they gathered together for an evening
meal in a café serving Italian-style food. Their minds were boggling from all briefings,
simulations, exercises, and experiences of the long day. Their bodies adjusted to the
temperature range between 20° C to 24° C° which was quite pleasant. Chris sighed, This
The term “technauts” refers to human workers on the Moon, while the terms “astronaut or cosmonaut”
was limited to explorers sponsored by a government space agency. Robonaut designates a robot designed to
look and function somewhat like a human being; the more sophisticated are sometimes called an android
*
76
controlled atmosphere of 14.7 pounds per square inch sure beats the weather in
Strasbourg where I studied at the International Space University. The others concurred
with this astute observation from De Negurelua, the next university chancellor.
As he gulped a luna beer and chewed a Moonburger, Dip intervened, And the
beverage and food are on a par with what we had last year at the Academy. I hear that
somewhere in this vast undertaking, they have a restaurant that serves spicy food like in
my native India. Banerjee fancied himself a gourmet cook, so he had been fascinated
today when they visited the farms with their upside-down plants. He planned to spend a
lot of time there sampling the produce. He also wanted to cook an Indian meal for his
classmates.
Yang Tu rarely made comments. But he revealed that he wanted to know more
about LUNA WORLD’s life support technologies. I know they have here artificial ecosystems for recovering food, water, and oxygen from waste. It is these regenerative
systems, first developed in Spain by the Euopean Space Agency, which make Selenopolis
possible!
What got to me, Oleg added, was the low-gravity construction techniques we saw.
They were using lunar materials to assemble prefabricated materials for the city’s
expansion and for shelters elsewhere on the Moon. Alifanov was especially drawn to the
way Selenians were extracting oxygen from the lunar regolith.
Well I’m look forward going topside tomorrow and driving a rover across the
lunar surface, said Pedro who fancied him a “hot rod “ specialist. Raygoza went on,
77
I think they call them crawlers around here.
McArthur responded, You look the type! Seriously, I thought those new
bio-suits are neat. They are not only lightweight, form fitting, and attractive, but contain
the latest life support systems. This new garb is so flexible because they are made of a
plastic fabric made here in our industrial park. I never envied the Apollo explorers in
their bulky, hard pressurized suits.
But Laura, Megan retorted, at least the first astronauts got right out of their rover
onto the lunar surface. It’s taken us two days under the surface before we are allowed up
there. Now that we’ve mastered the less cumbersome suits, I can’t wait until when we get
to try them out on the lunar surface.
Raygoza resonated to her enthusiasm, whispering, Maybe the two of us can go
there tomorrow night to view the stars. Megan blushed and did not reply for she knew
there were restrictions on going topside.
***
On the morning of their second orientation day, the first hour was devoted to a
presentation on robotic relations by the director of the A & R Corps. Dr. Greenwood
impressed on them on how dependent Selenians were on these “tin collar workers,” as he
joked. Then the hundred initiates took an elevator up to the lunar surface where they
donned bio-suits and support packs before going outside. Their mentor, Dean Maher
instructed them on the main tasks ahead. Our immediate objective is to familiarize you
with walking or jumping in 1/6th gravity with your protective suits, as well as the safe
utilization of lunar crawlers and shelters. These all have their own support systems in
case your suit malfunctions or you have to be topside for a long period. It is essential you
78
learn to cope with emergencies in the use of this equipment. Then we will interact with
various members of our robonauts who are so important to your survival and work.
Together with them, we will now examine the key features on this Malapert Mons site.
Later in the day, we will pay our respects at Tranquility Base Monument.
LUNAR SURFACE OPERATIONS - Technauts and Robonauts at work on the Moon.
Megan was enthralled by the scene before her eyes – the magnificent vistas and
desolation of this lunar landscape! Malapert’s sunlight was dazzling, and when she got up
to its summit, the Earth was always in view, allowing for continuous visibility and
communication with the home planet. She knew that at NASA’s Shackleton base over
1000 km away, Earth visibility comes and goes every 28 days. At the Academy, she
learned that Earth ascends and descends about 12 degrees as seen from here. The young
Selenian was also dazzled by the arrays of solar collectors here at MM, perfect for Sun-
79
tracking. The solar power electric grid around the circumference of this south polar
region also awed her. It made large-scale industrial projects possible. She marveled at the
accomplishments of the pioneers over the last four decades. At south base of Malapert
Mountain, she was shown permanently shaded terrain high in hydrogen concentrations,
so vital for water extraction from the ice below the surface. This so-called mountain area
fascinated her with its gentle slopes and craters. Because the regolith was thicker here, it
had proven ideal for shelters and resource evacuations. With its exposure to solar winds,
she was aware that this region was high in volatiles, substances that boil away during
daylight on the lunar surface.
MacArthur also understood why this site, like the
Shackleton base, was good for astronomy studies. She also looked forward to visit the
Observatory developed by the Russians and scientists from Eastern Europe. Meg hoped
someday to use their telescopes that are able to collect light for long observations of
celestial bodies along the axis of the Moon’s rotation. Now McArthur appreciated why
MM’s south face, free of interference from Earth and its orbit, is suitable for radio
astronomy, though the best site for this was on the far side of the Moon. She realized that
this area was largely shielded from terrestrial low-frequency radiation. No wonder LIDC
choose this site their first city – it offered so many advantages for extended exploratory
missions and settlement. Its elevation permitted line-of-sight communions throughout this
entire south pole and its Aitken Basin. It was the best location for optical
communications and high-band with technologies.
Megan’s revelries were interrupted when Oleg Alifonov jumped beside her. I sure
like the way we can bounce around in this low gravity, he observed. But haven’t you been
curious about those balloons out there?
80
Curiosity killed the cat, she countered. But what did the inquiring engineer in you
discover about those floating darlins?
The Russian grinned, I got talking to the contractor in charge of them. He’s from
Cool Earth Solar in Livermore, California.. The guy told me the ballons are metallised
and provide a cheap way to generate solar electricity on the Moon. The balloons are
aluminized on only one side, so the inner surface of the coated half becomes a concave
mirror. Turns out that a solar cell at the focus of the mirror provides an inexpensive
solar energy collector.
McArthur smiled, Sounds like an elegant technology for what at first looks like
party balloons. I bet those technauts have figured a way to change the air pressure within
them so as to change the mirror’s curvature.
Oleg looked at her in amazement. You are right Miss Smarty. Those power
stations are mobile and make the most of the free sunlight here. They supplement the
automated solar cell factories, and can be set up anywhere on the lunar surface.
At midday Colleen Maher announced, Luniks, we are about to take our field trip
to Tranquility Base, which is a long distance away from here. We will leave our rovers
here and make use of mass drivers for our transportation. They are powered by our
electric grid, and are also used for transporting freight and heavy payloads. Because the
Moon is airless, there are no aerodynamic forces to interfere with our suborbital flight
over the lunar surface. A small computer aboard ensures our trajectory is calculated with
precision. The drivers have accelerating and reverse-mode braking components to take
us to a fixed location. As our little fleet flies on the same orientation, a launch-capture
mass driver system will ensure a safe landing.
81
The new arrivals at the historic museum park included a visitor, Junuchi
Haruyuma, a 32 year-old post doc fellow, doing follow-up studies on the unmanned
SELENE missions his father had managed in 2008. Like his Dad, the astro scientist
represented the Institute of Space & Astronautical Sciences in Sagamihara City, Japan.
He marveled at the smooth vertical landing of driver with its computer control of the
rocket thrusts. Junuchi was intimidated by the site where the Apollo astronauts first
landed. Being of a spiritual orientation, he contemplated the millions of years humans
thought they were earth-bound. And these American spacefarers were the first to prove
we could move beyond Earth, and that we were children of the universe! Januchi was a
believer in protecting cultural heritage, so belonged to the Interplanetary Foundation for
Preservation of Resources and Artifacts. Among the goals of this global organization
was safeguarding in the vacuum of space, the irreplaceable artifacts of humanity’s
achievements offworld. And now he would visit the most historic site of the original
landings of humans on the Moon! This place of unparallel significance is where the
emerging field of space archeology was born to study, preserve and protect historic sites
aloft. *
As they embarked, Colleen began her lecture:
You are now on the Sea of
Tranquility where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin accomplished the first manned
landing from July 16 to 24, 1969. This milestone for humanity caused us to change our
image of the species. Pointing toward the solar system, she continued: This momentous
event caused us earthlings to consider that maybe our real home was up here and out
See Hartland, D.M. Exploring the Moon – the Apollo Expeditions, 2009, 2nd ed…..Orloff, R.W. and
Harland, D. M. Apollo: The Definitive Sourcebook, 2006. New York, NY: Springer-Praxis
(www.springer.com or praxis-publishing, co. uk).
*
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there! The main underground museum building here is named after Michael Collins, the
astronaut who orbited above the Moon in the command module that would take his two
colleagues home. Inside you will view media presentations of their stunning transmission
to billions back on Earth who watched this event on television.
These Apollo 11
explorers filmed the wild, desolate lunar landscape, and set up scientific instrument for
data recordings near the Little West crater rim which today is the site of this museum.
You will also note the replica over there of the lander Eagle which at the end of their
mission took these pioneers back to the command module.
APOLLO 11 – FIRST LUNAR LANDING - Astronaut Buzz Aldrin photographed on the Moon,
July 21,1969, by crewmate, Neil Armstrong who took the photo is reflected in the visor.
Dr. Maher paused to let her words sink in as the group assembled to descend into
the building. As you well know there were six more manned landings at different sites
83
around the Moon, each of which has an historic marker. Some of the artifacts left behind
have been assembled below. In all, twelve human beings out of the billions who came
before them actually landed on the Moon in these initial exploration missions. The
Apollo astronauts went to places you will someday visit – the Ocean of Storms, Fra
Mauro Highlands, Hadley-Apennine, Descartes Highlands, and Taurus-Littrow. The
digital Imax movie in the museum below will show you these other places where humans
roamed until the myopic Nixon Administration cut off the Apollo program in December
1972. In all, since January 1967, there were seventeen Apollo lunar missions in which
American taxpayers invested well over $30 billion.
You and all our present luna
installations represent the return on that investment!
Somewhat overcome by the Dean’s introduction, the lunar travelers took an
elevator down in the bowls of the museum. There a docent took over to guide them
among the displays and exhibits. Every recorded foot of voice, photo or video from the
seventeen Apollo missions were stored here, along with all communications between the
astronauts and mission control.
The walls were covered with paintings from the
International Astronautical Art Society, many of whose artists had been in orbit
themselves. Most of the equipment left behind on the Moon by Apollo astronauts,
including scientific instruments, had been preserved here as exhibition artifacts. Among
them were copies of their bulky space suits, the moonquake detectors, and the Hasselblad
camera used by the first pioneers. The Class of 2050 felt like they are visiting a cathedral
that housed venerated relics. There were subsequent unmanned lunar missions, and their
relics were housed here. The visitors were fascinated by the remains of NASA’s Lunar
Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, which impacted the Moon in 2009, and
84
provided valuable information on lunar composition and the presence of water or
hydrated materials.
When back on the surface, the Selenians replayed in their minds and exchanges
what it must have been like when Armstrong and Aldrin landed their Eagle here eightythree years ago. Indeed they had taken small steps for humankind, a leap into the future
that enabled these very spacefarers to be here! They could actually see here the boot
predecessors, comfortable in the six g weightlessness, while leaving their own lighter
imprints behind The site was truly tranquil and starkly beautiful – boulders, craters, and
ridges abounded, some of the latter 20 – 30 foot high. The colors here on the Moon
varied. As the television cameras of the first “Men on the Moon” recorded, Armstrong
had reminded his millions of listeners back on Earth that peaceable people and nations
came here with an interest, curiosity, and vision of the future. No wonder Michael
Collins flying in the command module above his cohorts on the lunar surface felt a
profound sense of isolation at the panorama he observed below. And the original lunar
rover now on exhibit was so primitive to the vehicles they now use. After a day of
brilliant sun, the sky above them was darkening, and the landscape was drowned in stars.
They packed their gear for the trip back to Selenopolis, pondering the words on the
plaque by the first lunar lander: Here men from Planet Earth first set foot on the Moon,
July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all mankind. They realized that the dozen Apollo
explorers not only had a colossal adventure, but set humanity on its new offworld course
and discoveries. Over eons of time, our ancestors speculated on such possibilities in
fiction and film, but those humans actually walked on the Moon here at Tranquility base!
***
85
When they reached the Aldrin lunaport, Megan McArthur put her hand out to
Pedro Raygoza, whispering, Let’s stay up on the lunar surface for a while. I don’t want to
let this magical day to end.
Since, they were both attired in their bio-suits, he readily agreed. Pedro sensed
that this Irish lass he so admired had been deeply moved by their mutual enlightenment
this day. Pedro commented quietly on the films, photos, and artifacts of the other six
Apollo landing sites they witnessed at the museum. He laughed at the jokes of Pete
Conrad when he stepped out of the Apollo 12’s Surveyor 3 at the Ocean of Storms. His
partner, Alan Bean would later paint these lunar sciences so etched in his memory. The
Mexican astronaut was moved by the words on the arm patch worn by the Apollo 12
astronauts: Ex Luna Scientia, the Latin for “From the Moon Knowledge.”
Megan finally came out of her musing by saying, But those missions also
highlighted the hazards of spaceflight.. She referred to the near disaster on Apollo 13
faced by Commander Jim Lovell and his crew when their spacecraft suffered a massive
failure. They called their LM Odyssey to honor Homer’s famous poem and Kubrick’s
epic film, but never got to use the lander. She reminded Pedro of the movie shown last
year at the Academy with actor Tom Hanks playing the Lovell role. Both recalled that
craft’s massive systems failures, forcing its crew to use the LM as a lifeboat. They
discussed how those poor guys, Lovell, Haaise, and Swigert only looped around the
Moon, never landing and at risk, until their safe return to Earth. So Apollo 14 inherited
the site never reached by the preceding mission – Fra Munro highlands on the edge of the
great Mare Imbrium. Alan Shepherd and Ed Mitchell managed to land their LM Antares
86
at Cone Crater. These early explorers used a crude two-wheeled cart to haul their tool kit
through the lunar dust, while Wally Schirra flew above in the command module.
Raygoza mentioned that the initial Apollo missions were focused on exploration,
while the last three concentrated more on geological and scientific studies. They had seen
in the museum some of the equipment their predecessors left behind. Both were
impressed by the video showing the crew of Apollo 15 taking three EVAs. Astronauts
Dave Scott and Jim Irwin made scientific exploration trips to the spectacular valley of
Hadley-Apennine. There were so many craters at this grand site where they collected
samples of ancient rocks in the Imbrium Basin. These pioneers had even taken the first
telephotos of the far side of the Moon, including the 11,000-foot Mount Hadley Delta.
But those moonwalkers were able to cover such distances through abrasive grit
and extreme temperatures because their old rovers were superb performers, Megan
observed. Why those astronauts even drove to a rille where Scott discovered a “Genesis
Rock”, and drilled a ten-foot core into the mare that may have been a half a billion years
old! And during that voyage Al Worden in his orbiting lab was carrying out extensive
scientific observations and photography.
What got me today, Pedro replied, was the way those fellows mastered their
durable space suits. By Apollo 16, John Young and Charles Duke went volcano hunting
from their Descartes landing site, while Ken Mattingly observed them below from his
orbiting craft.. They were leaping, stumbling, and falling in those suits. But bending was
hard for them, like it isn’t for us. Both Selenians appreciated that, like themselves, those
first luniks would have roasted from the blast of the lunar sun, were it not for the
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protection of space suits with their 21 layers of covering and the cooling from their life
support packs.
McArthur looked at her pal, adding, But it was that last Apollo 17 mission that
moved me. There on the eastern shore of the Sea of Serenity, Gene Cernan and geologist
Jack Schmitt probed the valley of Taurus-Littrow. They gathered the most scientific data,
while experiencing the spellbinding magnificence of the lunar vista we now enjoy. They
viewed bright mountain rises above the dark lava plains. More than previous astronauts,
these last men on the Moon truly appreciated and reported on the grandeur of the
extraordinary spectacle they were seeing.
Pedro reflected, that as those early explorers loaded their LM for departure, he as
struck by the words uttered by Gene Cernan when he said “I believe history will record
that America’s challenge of today has forged man’s destiny of tomorrow.” Now they
were fulfilling that destiny beyond the Earth. Raygosa promised her that eventually, they
would visit the other five Apollo landing sites. For them the legacy of the Apollo
missions was the revelation of offworld possibilities, if people had the will to make them
reality. This journey to Tranquility base and its museum had been memorable for all of
the newcomers, but especially for this sensitive, romantic couple.
Megan then stared into the dark night at the stars and her home planet. The sight
of Earth so far away seemed to mesmerize her. Pedro looked lovingly at this beautiful,
red headed damsel who had captured his heart. Then he remembered the lovely lyrics of
Claude Debussy’s lyrics that seem to fit this moment: It was the rampart of God’s house
that she was standing on. By God built over the sheer depth which Space begun. So high,
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that looking downward thence, she could scarce see the sun. She felt like she was in
heaven!
Then the Mexican astronaut gently touched her arm, and softly said, Megan, let’s
go below. We’ve another big day ahead of us tomorrow! As Megan descended
underground, she reflected on her unique friendship with Pedro that had developed over
the past year. It had started at Unispace Academy with their mutual interests in outer
space and religion. Now it was becoming more personal and intimate. No two people
could be more unlike one another, yet opposites do attract.
***
The Class of 2050 had an eventful third orientation day. The morning had been
filled th power point presentations by experts among the residents. The topics covered
many aspects of lunar history, geography, geology, and resources unfamiliar to them.
Hideo Iwama and other presenters shared their hands-on experience that supplemented
what they had learned previously at the Academy. Without atmosphere and abundant
water, the Selenian pioneers produced marvels of macroengineering and agriculture in
only four decades. The new arrivals were awed by the building of this subterranean
settlement, and the space architecture employed. But the accomplishments on the lunar
surface at KELIP were impressive considering they had been done largely by the Robotic
Corps, with only a handful of humans. Michaela Harris had given the lecture on their
transportation system, both to and from the Moon, as well as across the lunar surface.
This orientation was most informative and inspiring. Now they were comprehending that
LUNA WORLD represented a global macroproject that now went far beyond North
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American contributions. Europe, as well as China, India, and Japan, had already made
significant investments in this enterprise.
After a luncheon snack of luna juice and Oriental salad, the new arrivals went into
a virtual reality laboratory for their field trip to the east side of the Moon. They were
excited about seeing the remains of old Soviet space technology. The simulated travel on
luna hoppers to Lunagrad seemed almost real. They viewed the Mare Imbrium-Oceanus
Procellarum region (24°N, 48°W). In their race to be first on the Moon, the defunct
U.S.S.R, launched twenty-four luna missions, especially to the far side of the Moon
which never faces Earth. From 1969 to 1976, these unmanned flights either flew around
the Moon for photographic observations, or actually landed automated spacecraft and
equipment on the lunar surface. Russia, the first spacefaring nation, also achieved the
first soft landing on the Moon with its Luna 9 spacecraft on January 31, 1969. Now that
day was a lunar holiday in Selenopolis to honor that remarkable feat. But it would be the
21st century before the first Russian cosmonauts would actually walk on the lunar surface.
Under LIDC, the Russian Federation maintained an outpost and museum to honor their
country’s early exploration of our sister planet.
Upon their virtual arrival at Lunagrad near the crater Aristarchus, the spacefarers
were informed that this northwest location was known for its outgassing. That is, gases
from the Moon’s interior seep through the crater’s floor, indicating the presence of
volatiles, such as nitrogen and nitrogen. Already deep drilling for water was underway
here. Then, a Russian guide escorted the group down into the underground Sergei Korlev
Center. It was named after their chief space designer who was responsible for orbiting,
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the first satellite, Sputnik, as well as the first human, Yuri Gagarin. The grand mall in
Selenopolis had also been named in honor of that cosmonaut.
The 100 guests were afforded an opportunity to view an audio-visual review of
the Russian contribution to early space development.
*
The presentation covered various
Russian offworld accomplishments, including the Mir space station and their Mars
probes. But the 3D movie centered on results from the Luna missions series, and the
artifacts left behind at their seven landing sites which has been gathered in this museum.
Here was the remains of the Lunokhod 3 from the Luna 21 automated landing – the 760kg rover looked like a bathtub on wheels, but it had cameras, lasers, and a lid for solar
electricity. Steered by a ground crew, it examined lunar soil and radiation, the second
Lunokhod spent five months on the Moon and traveled 37 km before its power gave out.
The narrator further explained that this present outpost location made it ideal for a
future lunar city to be built here in the next fifty years. The region has important natural
resources, such as metals containing titanium, aluminum, magnesium, and iron, so
valuable for construction. The narration concluded with the observation that the Moon’s
total surface is larger than the whole of North and South America combined, and because
of its gravitational stability, the planet provided an important platform for unique
scientific observations across the electromagnetic spectrum.
`In the discussion that followed, one of the visitors asked about the preparation of
lunar tourists at Star City outside of Moscow. Their host replied that the Russians had
begun first with paid tourists to the International Space Station. Now that program has

Refer to Brian Harvey’s Russia in Space – The Failed Frontier?, 2001….Soviet and Russian
Lunar Exploration, 2006….The Rebirth of the Russian Space Program, 2007….Russian Planetary
Exploration, 2006. New York, NY: Springer-Praxis, (www.springer.com and globalsecurity.org).
91
been expanded so people from Central and Eastern Europe could be trained and launched
from cosmodromes for lunar excursions. She invited them to visit their exhibit on that
venture.
Oleg Alifonov then stood up to comment. Russia’s Star City is where I trained to
become a cosmonaut and I can assure this audience that it is very active now in
preparing lunar tourists. We have a new version of our Energia rocket capable of
carrying a dozen tourists on each flight. One of my assignments on the Moon is to ensure
that previous lunar research in my country is utilized fully by LIDC. For example, in
1989, my countrymen had done investigations to construct a lunar polar geophysical
orbiter to fly to the Moon’s far side so as to land a rover and collect samples. Although
Luna 92 was never completed, the studies have implications for sending unmanned
rovers here, as well as to Mars and asteroids. However, I would like to ask our host, if
there is anything in this museum on Mikhail Tikhonravov?
Oh yes, replied the discussion leader. Since this visionary helped to bring Russia
into the Space Age some 93 years ago, there is an exhibit on him relative to our future
luna plans here. This scientist designed our first liquid propellant rocket, the R7, which
featured the cluster-booster that became the Vostok rocket for our first probes to the
Moon. Korolev needed Tikhonravov to design Sputnik. This innovative engineer even
coined the word “cosmonaut.” When a new branch of Luna University is built at this
location, we intend to name the campus after this far-sighted space pioneer. You will see
a model of that institution in our display area. Also note this map of the Moon marked
with the seven sites where Soviet unmanned spacecrafts landed. Visitors like you may use
our telephoto lenses to view these sites close up.
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When the virtual tour of Lunagrad was completed, Dean Maher thanked the staff
of the informative program. She reminded the new arrivals that before orientation ended
this week, they would visit a third site designated an interplanetary historic landmark.
ENVOYS OF HUMANKIND ON THE MOON – whether cosmonauts, astronauts, or technauts.
That evening the “Fifties” gathered for their debriefing. Dip had brought them to
restaurant in Eastasia with Indian cuisine. Banerjee explained that it is run part time by
Prem Chadda from New Delhi. He added, Since every Selenian has to have two fields of
expertise, during the day Prem supervises a factory in KELIP that manufactures our
biosuits. His great uncle Krishna was an executive with Pacific Interplanetary
Enterprises that helped found LUNAR WORLD!
The classmates were quickly
developing their own jargon, including acronyms like “KELIP” which stands for the
Krafft Ehricke Lunar Industrial Park.
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While munching on some spicy chicken covered with a tangy sauce, De
Negurelua turned to Oleg, That was an impressive display on the museum’s walls of the
heroes of your Cosmonaut Corps.
With mock modesty, Alifanov replied, I hope someday there will be a mural there
with my picture. The classmates laughed heartily at his dreams
Chris countered, Only if you do something noteworthy, like finishing that maglev
railroad and utilities grid around the circumference of the Moon! Seriously, the museum
photo that moved me the most was that of the first woman in space in June 1963! Why
Valentina Tereshkova was a 26-year old loom operator and parachutist who spent three
days in space. And to think how many females would follow her in orbit!
*
The class got into a heated discussion about the Russian Moonscooper and
Lunokhod 2 rover. The latter was ground controlled, and capable of driving, swiveling,
and crossing craters.
Some argued that type of unmanned expeditions should be
expanded on Mars.
Oleg added, In a way, Lunokhod 2 was a precursor to the
sophisticated large rover that NASA’s Mars Laboratory uses to explore the Red Planet.
Why that LE automated giant is 10 feet long, 9 feet wide, and 7 feet tall!
Nurse Luci Jolie stumbled upon them chatting away, and ordered them to bed,
pointing out, You guys have a long fourth day of training tomorrow and need all the sleep
you can get!
***
The next morning the new luniks were learning all about lunar governance under
the LIDC administration and local city government. The principal address was given by
See D, J, Shayler and I Moule’s book, Women in Space – Following Valentin Tereshkova. New York,
NY: Springer-Praxis, 2005 (www.springer.com or praxis-publishing.co.uk).
*
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Judge George Robinson whose grandfather has developed the concept of astrolaw. * He
explained that space law was terrestrial and based on the precedents of international law.
It applied to legal matter relative to the UN space treaties, satellites, and space craft. The
main unresolved problem under that regimen was the matter of space debris. The Judge
noted that it wasn’t until astrolaw came into being that issue was resolve d.
Robinson, a scholarly type, elucidated that this type of law was made by
spacefarers themselves. It began in 2010 with the arrival of humans at LUNA WORLD.
The first pioneers realized that terrestrial law often did not apply in the lunar
environment, so the early settlers began to assert their own rule of law, and thus
“astrolaw” was inaugurated. Now that luna law applies to all Selenians and other at
LUNA WORLD,, as well as to relations between spacekind and earthkind. The Judge then
reviewed their Declaration of Interdependence and its provisions. He commented, That
document was originally drafted by my grandfather and other legal experts at the
Smithsonian Institution in 1986 and 1987. Based upon the United States Constitution, it
was then called a Declaration of First Principles for the Governance of Outer Space
Societies. That draft was revised in 2011 here on the Moon by the Astrolaw Assembly
founded by our citizens and the Lunar Infrastructure Development Corporation.
Robinson then divided the hundred new arrivals into ten groups of ten individuals.
Each was given a different section of the Declaration to discuss and report upon in a
general cluster session. Thus, each team focused on one provision of the LUNA
WORLD’S adopted introduction to a future constitution. The topics ranged from legal
protections and due process, to personal freedom and human rights. They reviewed
George S. Robinson, “Goverance Issues in Space Societies.” Appendix A in P. R. Harris’ Space
Enterprise-Living and Working Offwold in the 21st Century. New York, NY: Springer/Praxis, 2009, pp.
535-541 (www.springer.com or praxis-publishing..co.uk).
*
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complex issues that related to the health and safety of the luna community; the exercise
of authority and principles of representative government, rights and obligations of
interplanetary agreements and treaties; and protection of the lunar environment and
natural resources.
During the morning break, the Fifties class were again chattering about the inputs
and insights from the previous session. Megan spoke forcefully: Well if I have the good
fortune to have children here, I will encourage one of them to study astrolaw at Luna
University. Pedro squeezed her arm in affirmation, thinking to himself that he would be
delighted to produce a “Judge” Raygoza with Meg as his future wife.
What I found inspiring, Tu Yang observed, is the way this Declaration has
incorporated the principle of the old United Nation space treaties that outer space and its
celestial bodies are the common heritage of humanity, and not one nation or group.
As a result of that sanction, the six classmates got into a lively exchange why
LIDC enforced the law that no private property could be purchased on the Moon, only
leased for profitable development. Then the loudspeaker reminded them to return to the
classroom for the final session.
When re-assembled, Dean Maher introduced Dr. Woodrow H. Sears who was
director of LW’s Peacekeeping Force. Captain Sears thanked Colleen, and began, Fellow
Selenians, it is my privilege to give you an overview of our Corps and its role within
LUNA WORLD. In a relaxed but forceful manner, Woody enlightened the newcomers on
efforts to maintain the rule of astrolaw, cope with delinquent deviancy and criminal
behavior, as well as respond to aggression and hostile actions. He stated that the prime
purpose of this PC was to ensure the safety and security of luna inhabitants; to foster the
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protection and civility of the community; and to cooperate with all of the other Luna
Service Corps, such as Health & Safety, or Environment and Waste Management.
He reminded them that since all Selenians were competent in at least two
disciplines, each member of the Peacekeeping Corps had other career skills. Sears noted,
In addition to their duties of law enforcement, negotiations, and emergency response, our
peacekeepers have varied specialization. For example, to protect our lunar resources
human and material, we have experts in engineering, minerals, technologies, law, and
languages. The genial, gray-haired chief then invited questions from the audience.
Among the visitors, he was surprised that the first inquiry came from Chanya
Kurakit: Captain Sears, does your PC recruit members from terrestrial police agencies?
Yes, Dectective Kurakit, we do seek top performers from global law enforcement,
especially experts from Interpol, Woody answered. But then he was surprised by the Thai
lady’s follow-up query: Does your Corps practice any discrimination, such as against a
particular group, gender, or sexual preference?
Woody swallowed hard, and quietly replied. All of the many Luna Corps here
operate under an equal opportunity mandate. Our PC wants competent professionals,
regardless of race, creed, color, or national origin who have no record of criminal
behavior or delinquent deviancy. That means, for instance, that we welcome into our
ranks, earthlings and luna dwellers of all persuasion. He concluded by informing the
audience that Peacekeeping officers with double vocational skills, required minimal
education of a Master’s degree. As an after thought, he elaborated, The basic training for
our Corps ranges from law enforcement and justice systems to human relations and
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negotiations. Our competent men and women believe in walking softly, speaking
persuasively, but in carrying a big stick – that is, a laser ray gun.
A thought-provoking inquiry next came from Oleg Alifanov: Dr. Sears, can you
explain the role of the military on the Moon?
Woody quickly responded, Interplanetary treaties ban military action by any
terrestrial nation or organization from outer space, toward earthkind or spacekind,
whether directed to Earth or offworld.. Our Peacekeeping Corps is expected to enforce
those provisions. However, we do welcome individual military personnel who wish to join
our Corps, or military delegations who wish to engage in peaceful projects. Thus, our
ranks have many well-trained men and women from various countries with military
service, like myself. Although we have no Armed Forces as such on the Moon, we also
benefit, for example, from military contingents from Earth here on peaceful missions,
such as from the Army Corps of Engineers or military technologists. In our luna society,
we haves entertained many military personnel from the home planet. Just as we have
done with visiting scientists, such as members of your Russian Academy of Science. We
seek to serve humanity, not engage in “star wars.”
Dean Maher thanked the guest speaker, and urged the audience to go directly to
the university cafeteria for their lunch. Finally, I remind you that in one hour we will be
leaving for our field trip to the Shackleton basin. As you leave this auditorium, pick up
this flier on that crater area and contrast it with Mons Malapert, which is located at O°
longitude and 86° south latitude.
***
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SHAKLETON CRATER – Lunar South Pole – 100 km south of Mons Malapert
This lunar polar region is located on a rim of 19 km Shackleton Crater. The
site was selected because of the presence here of hydrogen in the form of water ice.
Because the Moon’s rotational axis is almost perpendicular to the ecliptic plane, the
crater’s rim receives long seasonal periods of sunlight, while its floor is permanently
shadowed. The building of human sub-surface installations has been a program
funded by the public sector, in contrast to Selenopolis developed ten years earlier by
private enterprise. Both South Pole locations share the advantage of extended
sunlight useful for solar power devices, as well as hydrogen-rich resources.
A rail system now connects the two lunar settlements at Malapert and
Shackleton. The outpost was originally started in 2020 by NASA and the
International Space Exploration Coordination Group.
ISECG is made up of
fourteen national space agencies on Earth cooperating in synergistic lunar
exploration and science. By 2050, all the global space agencies participate here in
the joint operation and management of the John F. Kennedy Base under the
auspices of the Lunar Infrastructure Development Corporation.
The principal
agency supporters are NASA, CSA, ESA, JAXA, CSAC, and RKA. This consortium
of terrestrial space agencies is modeled on international agreements for the
exploration of Antarctica, and the multinational experience of personnel there who
successfully work together in an isolated extreme environment (ICE).
The focus of this Shackleton undertaking is scientific research and
exploration. Its present facilities include: (1) a multipurpose power tower; (2) a
heliostat to measure solar activity around the clock; (3) a series of science and
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astronomy stations; (3) underground habitats, laboratories, and storage facilities;
(4) a luna space port. LIDC plans are underway to build a second luna city nearby,
as yet unnamed, which would include resource processing, manufacturing, and
construction facilities. Currently, the base is funded by contributions from the
world’s space agencies and scientific organizations who are its tenants.
California Polytechnic Institute is designing the adjoined domed luna city.
This underground facility to be built in Shackleton Crater will be 25 miles in
diameter, and 5,000 feet tall. This domed community is being constructed with
basalt fibers, S glass, and Kevlar materials used over inflatable habitats. The basic
structure is a hexagonal-pentagonal shielded surface glass which is three meters
thick with interlocking titanium frames.
Upon completion the dome will be
anchored in bedrock. All building materials are made right on the Moon. The
prime contractor is Bigelow Aerospace, along with contractors from many nations.
The construction is being done almost entirely by autonomous robots under the
direction of technauts. When this urban area is fully developed by LIDC in the next
decade, eventually it will be a self-supporting community of 2000 producing a wide
variety of luna products. It will specialize in production of lunar oxygen propellant
and spacecraft fuel.
Visitors are invited to take part in a contest to choose an appropriate name
for this new megalopolis on the Moon
Chris De Negurella and Dipankar Banerjee were sitting together on the maglev
train speeding to the Shackleton base. Since their training days in Hawaii, they had
100
become great pals, though he was seven years younger than she. Chris thought he would
make a great lecturer at Luna University, but she did not know enough about his personal
background. Dip, she queried, you are always talking about your graduate studies in
mineralogy at the Masdar Institute in Aba Dubai. But where did you come from in India
and where did you study in your homeland?
You won’t believe this, Chris, but I got my bachelor’s degree in science with the
Jesuits at St. Xavier College in Mumbai. Then I want back home to Vellore, a city of
some 200,000 inhabitants who speak Tamil and are fluent in English. It’s between
Chennai, a major port city of 7 million which used to be called Madras, and Bengalum,, a
high tech center of 5 million.
Christ interrupted, Isn’t that “Bangalore - the headquarters of the Indian Space
Research Organization which is your sponsor here?
Right, he responded, but the city is now called Bengalum by the locals. Dip
explained that when he went back to do a master’s in geology at the Vellor Institute of
Technology where he joined their chapter of SEDS - Students for the Exploration and
Development of Space. He also joined the Indian chapter of the Moon Society. That’s
how he got to know about LUNA WORLD. When he finished his doctorate in the
Emirates, he joined the Indian Space Agency.
Fascinating, Chris commented. I recall that the first group of lunar pioneers was
sent in 2009 by the Global Space Trust to India for special cross-cultural training. Ten
went to the ISRO headquarters in Bangalore, another ten traveled to the Meterological
Rocket Station at Balasore, and the final ten ended up at the Space Applications Center
in Ahmedabad.
101
Dip was amazed, You sure know a lot about India’s space program. But we are
coming into Kennedy station, so we’ll have to postpone this conversation to another time.
This sure was a quick, smooth ride!
At the underground base station, a guide led the new arrivals into the Challenger
Auditorium with its huge wall mural of its seven crew members.
A large plaque
underneath read: This auditorium is dedicated to the exchange of lunar knowledge. It
commemorates the seven Challenger shuttle astronauts who sacrificed their lives in 1986
so we could learn together here. Banerjee liked the way various buildings and places
within LUNA WORLD were named to honor the memories of early space pioneers. As
they passed into the vast hall, Chris pulled Dip’s arm and stopped to read under the group
photo, the names of the brave Challenger crew: Ellison Onizuku, Christ McAuliffe, Greg
Jarvis, July Resnik, Mike Smith, Dick Scobee, and Ron McNair. De
Neguurella
whispered to her companion, Note the racial and gender diversity among these
astronauts who gave their lives to advance human migration offworld. Since Chris was a
space history buff , she took notice of such details.
When newcomers had assembled, the base director arose and walked to the
podium. Harrison Schmitt III greeted his guests enthusiastically and introduced his
deputy from the European Space Agency, Bernard Foing, noting that the scientist grand
the beginning of this 21st uncle was among the leaders in space agency collaboration. ry.
Foing waved his arms in welcome, speaking forthrightly: You are now at the beachhead
on the Moon of all national space agencies. This outpost originated in 2020 as a result of
that American policy called Vision for Space Exploration. Instead of going back to the
Moon alone, NASA invited the space agencies of other countries to cooperate in this
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venture. China was preparing for its own lunar settlement, but decided to join in this
collaborative enterprise.
*
The global partnership formed then made the construction of
the Kennedy base possible. Until now our lunar pioneers emphasized extending human
civilization here by scientific exploration and research. But in the next fifty years a
second lunar settlement will emerge into self-sustaining city status. Our energies will be
directed to applying scientific knowledge to economic expansion and building a space
station at L1. That libration point in the Earth-Moon system offers the occupants of
LUNA WORLD a steady orbiting platform for further enterprise aloft. Under LEDA
charter, that orbiting station will also be a joint venture of the national space agencies.
Foing informed them that the next multimedia presentation would explain what
had been accomplished at this base in the last thirty years, and what their strategic plans
were for the last half of this century. What was evident to the viewers is that this was a
more utilitarian base focused on scientific action research. There seemed to be much
emphasis on astronomy since the administration had responsibility for the nearby
Konstantin Tsilkosky Science Center and Astronomy. The audience got the impression
that there were a many Russians and Eastern Europeans involved in its operation.
Everyone knew that the facility had been name after the 19th century Russian space
philosopher. What impressed them most was the large infrared telescope with a 25-meter
mirror – it was controlled by humans and robots who used it for exploration, mining, and
science.
When the question period began, a post-doc visitor raised an issue with the
KTSCA director who was sitting on the dais. She stood up and spoke, Dr. Avadeev, I am
See Brian Harvey’s China’s Space Program – From Conception to Manned Space Flight. New York,
NY” Springer/Praxis, 2004 (www.springer.com or praxis-publishing.co.uk).
*
103
a post-doctoral fellow in astronomy from Lithuania. How can I get assigned to your
Center when I complete my orientation?
The stately beaded scientist replied that this is a decision made by the human
resource director of LIDC, adding kindly, On the sixth day of your orientation, you have
a field trip to our astronomy labs. I suggest we confer then - perhaps I can facilitate your
assignment here. Realize that our program at the Center operates through an agreement
with the International Lunar Observatory Association. They are responsible for the first
automated telescope being installed at our site in 2015. ILO put an unmanned
observatory on the lunar surface between Malapert Mountain and Shackleton so as to
take advantage of sunlight in the area. So the global space agencies operation telescopes
and conduct astronomical research in conjunction with ILO. After those remarks, Dr.
Avadeev flashed this photo of the observatory on the wall screen behind him.
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INTERNATIONAL LUNAR OBSERVATORY – automated observatory on Moon.
Following the Q & A, the hundred guests took a tour of the underground facilities
before going up to the lunar surface in their space suits to view the base operations at the
Shackleton crater. There scientific research was underway on a variety of studies – from
deep space electric propulsions to planetary environmental analysis. The visitors were
intrigued with the mapping of this South Polar region by using advanced infrared
spectrometers. Scientists from the Korea’s Naro Space Center near Seoul were engaged
in microwave research of lunar soil. Later the Fifties group gathered below for some
refreshments before returning to Selenopolis. Banerjee mentioned to his classmates that
105
the Kennedy base had a non-denominational chapel, while each of its residential facilities
had mediation rooms with a view of the Earth.
Tu Yang then hit his Lpod under the heading religion. Well, our electronic guide
says there is complete freedom of religion at LUNA WORLD, but no organized
denominations. Residents may form their own spiritual groups to pursue their beliefs in
the divine or Cosmic Force. They can use the designated facilities for meeting purposes,
and three spiritual counselors are available. These resources include a doctor of
theology, a doctor of philosophy, and a doctor of anthropology who is an expert in
mythologies.
***
As soon as the travelers had returned to Selenopolis, Lt. Harios rushed to the
headquarters of the Luna Peacekeeping Corps. He knocked on the door of the director,
until Woody Sears invited him into his chambers. Decorated in modern art deco style,
the walls were covered with photos of Sears conferring with various celebrities from
Earth who had visited LUNA WORLD.
Woody offered Dennis a seat and some
refreshment before getting down to business with, what have you to report?
The Peacekeepr was concise in his response. Well, as you asked, I cultivated Ms.
Kurakit. She started with questions about our peacekeeping strategies, but soon started
pumping for information about our gathering and processing lunar gemstones. In my role
as contractor, I had to promise to take her to site on the lunar regolith where the
diamonds are harvested. When Woody asked for his impressions of the lady, Dennis
shrugged, Well Chanya is one odd character. It’s hard to get a fix on her. She’s a
combination of beauty, charm, and persuasiveness. But she is unlike any female I ever
106
dealt with. She has attractive features, like a lascivious laughter. It is obvious that she
has a hidden agenda that bears further scrutiny.
I agree, Sears replied, pounding his desk with a fist. I want to interrogate her. I’ll
send for her tomorrow night when she has some free time from the orientation.
Dennis looked dubious, Better tell the lady that this is a routine interview that all
visitors have with you. You don’t want to make her clam up. Harios then had an
afterthought, I have been unable to connect with Sgt. Shusta. Do you have any idea
where Dave is, and what he has found so far on the other investigation?
And that was really what had Sears worried! All Selenians had nametags with
computer chips attuned to sensors throughout the city. It was a necessary precaution for
safety purposes, but the system had other uses. And Dave’s presence had not shown up
on his large screen tracking all inhabitants.
Just then he got a call from their PC training officer, Captain, those new
electronic textbooks have arrived. You know, the 20th edition of Multicultural Law
Enforcement. Sears wanted them for a course he taught to all new recruits. The senior
author was related to his missing officer! With the availability of these books, at least
one problem has been solved, he thought to himself. 1 Now he would launch a search for
the missing Sgt. Shusta – that was his primary concern for the moment.
***
By breakfast on the fifth training day, the Class of 2050 were beginning to feel
like old timers on the Moon. But they realized they had only begun to learn about Earth’s
twin planet. Dip mentioned to his classmates that Tamil was his native language, and
See R. M. Shusta, D.M. Levine, H.Z. Wong, A. T. Olson, and P. R. Harris’ Multicultural Law
Enforcement – Strategies for Peacekeeping in aDiverse Society. Upper Saddle River, NJ” Pearson/Prentice
Hall, 2010. 5th ed. (www.prenhall.com/criminaljustice).
1
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English only his second language. He bemoaned, I have trouble up here with the
terminology used. What’s the difference between “lunar” and “luna”?
Christina then explained that “lunar” refers to natural and geographical aspects of
the Moon - like lunar surface. “Luna” is used for manmade activities and institutions here
– like Luna University. She went on, It’s like the word Selenians is reserved for all the
permanent residents of this city, while all others are simply lunar dwellers or luniks.
Before Banerjee could thank her for the clarification, the bell rang for their first session.
Tu Yang spoke quietly, “OK, guys, off to the LIDC building for our morning
presentation.
When they got to the underground structure that housed the Lunar Infrastructure
Development Corporation, they were surprised as to who shook their hands at the door.
It was Dr. Liam Harris himself, the top director of LIDC. About 5’ 7” in height, the
stocky fellow looked like the homeland football player that he had been. Now about 45,
the class knew from their electronic guidebook that this multi-talented administrator had
received an MBA from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in financial management from
Sophia University in Tokyo. He chatted casually with the group while escorting them to a
large conference room. There he introduced the new arrivals to the LIDC Council
members. These twelve were the administrators with on-site responsibility for managing
and developing LUNA WORLD. Beside Liam who served as director, the Council
included these twelve venerable leaders: Jacques Armand, Gordon Delahunt, Farid
Elashmawi, Daniel Greenwood, Will Gordon Harris, Hideo Iwama, Laura Kavanau,
Sergei Kostolani, George Robinson, Cary Rodgers, Koichi Shiteda, and Lara Tescano.
Liam opened the meeting by clarifying the concept of LIDC, explaining that the strategy
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originated with a space attorney, Declan O’Donnell, after whom this conference room
was named in his honor.
*
He noted that when that visionary incorporated the
organization in the 1990s in his native state of Colorado, its articles stated: The purpose
of this corporation shall be to promote the Moon as a place to live and work as a society
of people who create and maintain a consensus governance authority on the Moon and
its useable orbits. Chairman Harris then proceeded with a 3-D power point presentation
to highlight LIDA’s history and activities on the Moon.
This revealed that LIDA evolved because of a United National Space Treaty
adopted in 2010, which created this entity as a quasi-governmental mechanism to ensure
the established principle that outer space and its celestial bodies were the common
heritage of all humanity. The principal sponsor of this terrestrial legislation was the
Global Space Trust who had brought together both the private and public sectors for
space development, starting with the Moon. Liam elucidated this Trust had become the
operational arm of LIDC on Earth, while this Council coordinated and managed all luna
and related development on the Moons. He made clear that the world consensus was that
space is a place for synergy – the costs and the risks here require collaboration and
cooperation. LIDC is simply a means for accomplishing this. Thus, when the L1 space
station was built, an Orbital Space Infrastructure Corporation was established as a
counterpart to LIDC. To complete planning for manned missions and settlement on the
“Red Planet,” a Mars Infrastructure Development Corporation had been formed. Liam
then distributed this handout for the audience’s consideration.
See Declan O’Donnell and Philip Harris “Legal Strategies for a Lunar Economic Development
Authority,” Annals of Air & Space Law, 1996, 121-139. Published by the Institute & Center of Air and
Space Law, McGill University – www.islaw.com). Because of objections to the word “Authority,” the
author has adopted the terminology LUNAR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION,
as proposed by Drs. Buzz Aldrin and Thomas Matula.
*
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THE LUNAR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CREDO
LIDC services include:
● Issue bonds to underwrite lunar enterprises, beginning with a transportation
system, an industrial space park, and suitable facilities for residents on LUNA
WORLD. The Global Space Trust is the designated agent on Earth to promote the
sale of these bonds, and the management of funds so realized. It also administers
the Global Space Lottery to underwrite costs related to space enterprises, both on
the ground and in orbit.
● Lease surface and underground mining rights, and approve all contracts for the
public and private sector of Earth to undertake macroprojects on the Moon.
● Establish and collect all fees and charges on the Moon from contractors, tourists,
visitors and inhabitants, including landing rights and fees at lunaports.
● Coordinate and facilitate international endeavors by space agencies, scientific
organizations, and private corporation on the Moon and its vicinity.
● Provide a luna administrative structure for regulation and oversight of
terrestrially sponsored undertakings and communities at LUNA WORLD, so as to
ensure the protection of its inhabitants, the lunar environment, and the rights of
promoters.
● Contract and facilitate necessary infrastructure expansion on the Moon and
within its orbit.
This includes setting priorities and provisions for such
undertakings as luna or cislunar systems for communication, transportation, power
and energy systems, personnel deployment, habitation and building, et al.
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● Provide for the human resource development of all luna dwellers, including
opportunities for education, career training, and personal growth. Luna University
is the principal institution for sponsoring learning and schooling on the Moon, and
is empowered to confer all necessary degrees diplomas, or credentials.
● Ensure provisions for the health, safety, and wellness of all LUNA WORLD
inhabitants, so as to improve their quality of life and develop their potential.
● Act as a clearinghouse of research and data about lunar conditions, resources,
sites,
and undertakings for the benefit of
luna settlers, investors,
sponsors,
researchers, and tourists.
● Provide a peace and justice system for the development of astrolaw, for the
protection and safety of inhabitants, as well as to improve
relations between
earthkind and space kind, and to ensure adherence to the principles of our Luna
Declaration of Interdependence. The Corporation is in the process of involving all
segments of this lunar society in the adoption of a Constitution for Luna World.
● Charter all new human settlements and approve any expansion therein.
● Conduct public information, outreach, and development programs on Earth
through the Global Space Trust which encourage global investment in lunar
resources, industrialization, and settlement, as well as lunar tourism.
To fulfill the above twelve goals, the LIDC administration has been so organized
on the Moon.
The Director then introduced, Koichi Shiteda, the current Council Chairman, As
some of you know, our chairman prefers to be called “Jay.” He is famous for obtaining
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the first graduate degree in solar energy from Cambridge University. His father-in-law
appointed him to lead the NIS contingent to LUNA WORLD in 2010. Of course, I am
referring to Kazuo Yamamoto, founder of Nippon Interplanetary Services. His daughter,
Emi, is not only Jay’s wife, but serves as deputy mayor of Selenopolis which received its
city charter from LIDC.
The white-haired, distinguished Japanese rose, and quipped, And Liam forgot to
mention that Emi and I were the first married couple on the Moon. Yes, it helps to be
married to the daughter of the boss! Shiteda then went on to describe the organizational
chart for LIDC’s first city, Selenopolis. He projected a visual on the screen in the form of
a circle divided into twenty parts, commenting: Notice that LIDC does not designate its
administrative units as divisions or departments, but uses the term “Corps.” At the
center of this wheel is (1) the Luna Service Corps made up of the leaders of all the
subunits named in the spooks. Essentially, LIDC provides the central management of the
LUNA WORLD activities on behalf of its citizens. The directors of each Corps report on
their responsibilities to the LIDC Council, which I chair. Jay then offered an overview of
the other Corps divided into twenty general functions. In addition to the LSC and listed
alphabetically, these include (2) Agriculture & Food Technology; (3) Automation &
Robotics; (4) Construction & Mining; (5)
Contractor Services; (6) Engineering &
Geological Sciences; (7) Environment & Waste Management;
(8) Exploration &
Development; (9) Health, Safety & Emergencies; (10) Human Resource Development;
(11) Industrialization & Manufacturing; (12) Peacekeeping & Justice Systems; (13)
Recreation & Tourism; (14) Supplies & Storage; (15) Transportation Systems; (16)
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Scientific & Astronomical Research; (17) Urban Administration & Governance; (18)
Visiting Volunteers; (19) Water & Utilities: (20) Earth & Extraterrestrial Relations.
Konichi Shiteda noted that more functions or spooks could be added to that wheel
as needed. He concluded by informing the audience that the other cities in LUNA
WORLD would be administered in this pattern for defining roles and responsibilities.
A lively Q & A session followed this presentation. Junuchi Haruyuma, an astro
aqua scientist, stood up and commented: Since I am a member of that Visiting Volunteers
Corps, the new arrivals may wish to know that these official Visitors are mainly postdoctoral fellows who volunteer here for three years of service. We have temporary visas
and may return to Earth to live and work, or remain here as permanent residents if we
qualify LIDC passports.
Jay expanded on that statement with an observation that if visitors decide to
become residents after their trail period aloft, then they must commit for lifetime service
offworld. He amplified that in addition to education and career development of all
residents, the HRD Corps had the responsibility for processing and approving citizenship
in any luna city.
Dr. Lara Tescano elaborated further, Another example of our synergistic relations,
is the Health, Safety, and Emergencies Corps which I lead. I am pleased to welcome my
new deputy, Pedro Raygoza who will specialize in LW emergency responses for us. HSE
Corps also includes management of all health facilities; development of safety
regulations and resource; life sciences and support services; research on radiation,
diseases and pest controls related to living in 1/6 gravity. All Corps also work closely
with other colleagues elsewhere in the above chart. In our case, we interface regularly
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with farm managers and nutritionists in the Agricultural & Food Technology Corps. We
are concerned about health, safety, and emergency matters within all the other Corps.
For example, such issues are relevant in the processing of lunar raw materials, as with
oxygen, silicon, and metals. The whole LIDC organization is based upon a collaborative
model to ensure survival and well being for all in an extreme environment. You will learn
more about this on the last day of your orientation.
Before the session ended, Dean Maher reminded the new comers that the late
afternoon field trip would be a tour of the facilities and services in Eurasia where a
reception would he held in their honor that evening. Then she urged the new arrivals to
enter the contest to name the second city at Shackleton crater.
***
Eastasia was an exotic place where Dipankar Banerjee and Tu Yang lived. The
principal languages there were Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, as well as English. Their
four classmates from the other side of the grand mall were impressed. Forty years ago
Nippon Interplanetary Services took responsibility for developing a Japanese garden with
rocks, bonsai trees, a small lake, and waterfall just like the one at their Kyoto home base.
Their two hosts took the Westerners to visit various ethnic enclaves that symbolized the
Far East, such as those of Korea, India, and Indonesia. What surprised the visitors was a
section devoted to Australia, featuring surfing photos, as well as aboriginal paintings and
artifacts. Overseas Chinese had created a fund to build a pagoda-like museum here with
replicas of their art and sculpture. On its wall was the history of the Chinese peoples from
1000 B. C. to the 21st Century displayed with calligraphy describing scenes from the Far
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East. On another wall was the history of the Chinese interest in outer space from the
launching of ancient rockets to the latest version of the Long March rocket.
In the Japanese village, Junichi Haruyuma was pleased to see a commemorative
plaque dedicated to JAXA’s Selene mission of June 11, 2009. Its spacecraft was named
Kaguya, a mythical moon princess. After completing its scientific observations in orbit to
measure the Moon’s origin and evolution, it crashed landed on the lunar service.
Inside this charming setting of Eurasia was an intimate Oriental dining area with
lanterns on black lacquered tables. Tu Yang shyly invited them to sit and enjoy a meal of
Chinese food which he had selected for them. After this exquisite repast, Oleg remarked,
Its hard to believe that we are having this kind of dining experience on a celestial body
created some 5 billions years ago!
Eastasia’s Oriental Farmers Market
His other classmates agreed with him that their lunar experiences so far had been
mind-boggling. They were amazed at the Oriental market with all types of Asian fresh
foods were both grown and sold. A lively conversation ensued about what they were
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learning during these onsite training sessions. But the evening show-stopper was a short
musical concert by a Korean Orchestra Nova led by Jung-Ho Pak. It ended with a
delightful sing-along of classic lunar tunes – “Blue Moon,” “It’s Only a Paper Moon,”
and “Moon River,”
Before the group broke up reluctantly, Megan grabbed their attention by pointing
to her L-pod and remarking, There is some kind of search underway for a missing Peace
Officer. What’s that all about?
***
The sixth orientation day was centered on lunar science and astronomy. It
included a field trip to the Konstantin Tsiolkovsky Science Center and Observatory. Dr.
Will Gordon Harris, the chief astronomer at KTSCO, was their host throughout the
morning and afternoon.
Will began with a review that the Moon is an ideal platform for astronomical
observations. He described the array of telescopes being deployed at strategic positions
around LUNAR WORLD. He explained, We are doing this from here to assure a range
of wave lengths so as to cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum. In essence, our
astronomers have connected telescopes which form an interferometry grid. This system
configuration provides details about planetary bodies around nearby stars, so we can
study if the conditions of life exist there! But more important, through our interplanetary
net, we enable institutions and individuals back on Earth to share in our observational
capabilities.
*
Dr. Harris elaborated on their long-term strategy with the International
Lunar Observatory Association for imaging the galactic center to determine the origin of
*
Infometry is the imaging process by which two or more separate telescopes obtain simultaneous images
of a celestial target, so as to improve resolution of the images whose optical waves are combined.
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the solar system. He showed visuals of KTSCO searches for NEOs and Earth-like
planets, as well as their observations of Earth, planetary, and solar system. The guests
were given demonstrations of how lunar regolith is used to eliminate thermal stress, and
protect instrumentation from temperature extremes, micrometeorites, and ionizing
radiation. The visitors were then taken on a tour of the Tsiolkovsky Center on the leading
edge of astronomical frontiers.
The Class of 2050 was impressed by this astrophysics facility with its elegant
communications center and website that delivered to the home planet real-time
astronomical data, lunar videos, earthrise imagery, and broadcasts. They were astounded
by the linking together of circumferential lunar telescopes with observatories on Earth
and in orbit. The system had significantly enhanced human capabilities for observing our
universe, and producing high resolution and detailed imaging of celestial objects.
***
Euramer anchored the western end of the subsurface greenbelt mall named after
the first human in orbit, while Eastasia was at its eastern end. The wide Gagarin plaza in
between contained the principal shopping, dining, and entertainment facilities for
Selenopolis. Permanent residents could choose to live in either society wherever they
would be most comfortable. Tonight’s tour and party was being held in the area housing
mainly North and Latin Americans, Europeans, and Russians. Its motif was oriented
toward the languages and cultures of English, Spanish, French, German and Russian. In
addition to residential, dining, fitness and recreational facilities, it had some laboratories
and research units. Those in Euromer were particularly proud of the huge wall murals
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and mosaics featuring scenes from the many countries represented in this settlement of
knowledge workers. Flower and fauna from these regions were also abundant.
Since Alifonov, DeNegurella, Kavanau, McArthur, and Raygoza already dwelled
in this community, they were hosts now to their classmates Dip Banerjee and Tu Yang
who resided in Eastasia. While the foursome was welcoming their two classmates, the
gregarious Dip whistled. Say these Alpine scenes are really imposing. They more than
match our community depictions of the Himalayas!
But first let us how you some features of our Western world, Pedro suggested. He
then lead their two guests to the Quality of Lunar Life Institute where research centered
on human factors related to living and working in one-sixth gravity.
Tu Yang murmured , Hey, I would I like to sample that Sol-Yoga facility .
Megan responded graciously, There won’t be time for that tonight, but do plan
another visit to our sun-like experience at the Institute so our yoga staff may enhance
your orbital life path.
Chris added, At least at our reception, you will have a buffet choice that includes
French, Italian, German, and Mexican food! Now that’s a combination to tempt your
palates!
***
Woody Seats was frantic. Their citywide intensive investigation to find Sgt.
Shusta turned up nothing so far, so he expanded the search within the Mons Malaper
region. But the Peacekeeping Corps director had turned up one clue. Dave’s optical
computer revealed that on the day he went missing, an interview had been scheduled with
a mining contractor from South Africa. He buzzed his deputy, Sean Roche. Lieutenant,
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bring in that fellow Sol Botha for questioning. Don’t mention it is in conjunction with the
Shusta matter!
***
The seventh and last day of orientation began with presentations on the human
factors and health within settlements on the Moon. It took place in a sprawling complex
known as the Martha Rogers Wellness Center. In the last century, Dr. Rogers had been a
professor of nursing at New York University who first came up with the idea of space
nursing. The whole Center staff was on hand for this important briefing of the new
arrivals. Director Lara Tescano, M.D., lead off with an overview of luna health and safety
problems facing them all. A specialist in life sciences, she had held this posting for forty
years. Now as Mrs. Delahunt, she was waiting for her replacement, so she could devote
her remaining years to research on human factors offworld, and quality time with her
husband, Gordon.
A tour of the laboratories showed the extent of ongoing research relative to lunar
gravity, dust, and radiation. Digital visuals reviewed the scientific efforts underway to
satisfy human needs for oxygen, water, and food. The visiting group actually viewed the
major experiments to provide a controlled ecological life support systems relative to food
and waste management, as well as psychological well-being.
After lunch break, Dr. Luci Linda Jolie lectured on the use of robots and
automation in telemedicine. A Native American, Luci was a space nurse who could have
been a fashion model. Instead, she obtained a Ph.D. at UCLA in biological and
environmental sciences. With an NSF grant at Carnegie Mellon University, her postdoctoral studies there were in robotics. A sensitive listener with a wry sense of humor,
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Luci was not only a gentle woman, but also an outspoken, multitalented professional. Yet
at 68, Jolie still retained her exceptional beauty. She opened the session by describing
the holistic approach to prevention and care at the Center, which dealt with physical,
psychological, and social illness of Selenians. The newcomers were awed by her dynamic
presentation with actual films of luna health care teams at work. She emphasized that
such teams were not only interdisciplinary, but also included humans and medical robot
technicians. She showed scenes of hospital operations wholly conducted by robots under
human guidance. Luci discussed how telemedicine united all three lunar settlements with
the best medical practitioners on Earth. The behavioral scientist alerted the new arrivals
to the possibilities of lunar culture shock, and how to counteract symptoms of what she
called “the overview effect.” Then she had the audience follow her to the underground
garage where a sophisticated medical rover was parked.
Medical rover as seen on the lunar surface.
This is the type vehicle that our HSE Corps use for accidents, emergencies, or
treatment in remote parts of the Moon. Dr. Jolie observed, Our highly trained space
paramedics have a mini first aid unit, and mobile hospital in these rovers. They contain
complete life support systems and shielding to function on the lunar surface. Sometimes
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the rovers become ambulances for transporting trauma victims to our Wellness Center
for further care.
***
Megan McArthur kept a diary of her lunar experiences, which she shared
electronically with her parents back in Dublin. This evening while sipping a luna juice
drink, she dictated directly into her computer: January 8, 2050 - The last two events of
this final day of training moved me the most. It began with a discussion of space culture,
and how we are creating an entirely new luna culture. Notice this illustration with ten
categories imprinted on a photo of the Moon!
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The anthropologist who lead the session was Michelle Rodgers, a stunning lady of
African-Canadian heritage. Now 60, this technaut relocated to the Moon as a child with
her parents. Her Dad, Cary a space architect, at 80, is still in charge of automated
systems here. His daughter moved me deeply when comparing Selenians to our ancestors
who climbed out of trees on the African savanna and began to walk upright. Michelle
showed us this model of space culture with ten dimensions to which we contribute
through our presence on the Moon Mom and Dad, read all my missives in the context of
ancient Irish culture and how it has changed. Then consider these lunar cultural
characteristics that I am influencing: a sense of space, communications, dress and
appearance, food and feeding habits, time and time consciousness, relationships and
family, values and norms, beliefs/customs/traditions, mental processes and learning,
work habits and practices. Apart from the technological aspects, all your daughter’s
activities up here can be viewed in the context of those key classifications.
Finally, our lunar orientation ended tonight with a brief closing ceremony. The
venerable lunar pioneer, Gordon Default whose grandparent came from Rathgar,
summarized how our learnings in this first week on the Moon will impact our lives
forever. Then he presented each of us with a certificate of achievement from Luna
University, and our special arm patches. As you know, underground we usually wear
comfortable jump suits in blue, white, or tan, according to our work assignments. Each
has a special badge we wear on the front with our name, but inside there is a computer
chip with out identity and function. That way, the central administration can track our
movements everywhere, especially during emergencies, by means of this badge and
sensors all over Selenopolis. The cloth patch presented to me is worn on the left shoulder.
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Mine is gold with the Moon embroidered in the center along with the words, “LUNA
WORLD SELENIAN.” This signifies I am a permanent resident here. From now on I
will wear it proudly – the other three patches are not as elaborate. Among the new
arrivals, those who are contractors got a red one, while visitors got blue, and tourists a
white one. It’s been a long, stimulating day, so I am going to shut down. Luv you two!
Meg.
The exhausted technaut dropped into bed with a sense of satisfaction. She had
successfully completed her intensive orientation. Now Meg and her classmates could
really start their responsibilities as permanent luna residents!
####
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