Colonization of the Moon

Location

Many scenarios have been suggested for a Lunar colony. The latest radar mapping and other sensors have suggested an ideal site near the Moon's South pole. Not only is there strong evidence of water in the form of ice in the large Shackleton Crater that never receives sunlight, but there is a convenient nearby mountain (Malapert) which offers several advantages:

- At around 5000 meters elevation, it offers line of sight communications over a large area, as well as to Earthside.

- One big problem with a Lunar colony has been a source of continuous power. While a nuclear power plant would solve this, it would be a very expensive proposition, either lifted from the Earth's deep gravity well, or fabricated with on site materials by machines lifted from Earthside. While solar panels would be much more easily fabricated, the long lunar night (14 earth days) would require some kind of massive and expensive power storage facility. This site neatly eliminates that problem because it is exposed to the sun most of the time; two closely spaced arrays would receive continuous power. The solar panels, incidentally need not necessarily be silicon. It is more feasible to simply use the several hundred degree difference between sun and shade to run simple heat engine generators.

- Its proximity to Shackleton Crater (72 miles) means that it can provide power and communication to the crater where the very valuable ice is likely located, and ice can provide water, oxygen, and rocket fuel, among many other things.

- The surrounding areas that are in constant deep shadow may be valuable not only for ice, but for astronomical observation. An infrared instrument would benefit from the very cold temperatures. A radio telescope would benefit from being shielded from Earthside's broad spectrum radio signal interference.

The Habitat

Because of the hard radiation, temperature extremes, and other hazards, most of the surface work should be performed by remote control robots. While several fanciful habitats have been suggested, the most practical way to protect the colony from the sun's hard radiation and the rain of cosmic particles would be to go underground. The first machine from Earthside would be a remote controlled boring machine. One size would be for tunnels, another for larger tunnels/rooms. Once tunnels and rooms were created, some sort of hardening would be necessary to avoid collapse, possibly a spray-on concrete-like material made of available material. A more porous insulating material also made of available materials could then be blown in place. Then, inflatable self-sealing fabric would be put in place to retain air. Air, water and power would be much less daunting.

Transportation

One way to get materials and products from the Moon to the interplanetary "plateau" would be with a mass launcher, or magnetically accelerated rail. Then the packages would be picked up from orbit by robotic solar sailors and delivered to needed locations. If the Space Elevator proves practical, people and products would be delivered to an orbital station to await the next shuttle flight to wherever.

Business

Mining and refining the moon's materials would have an immense advantage, as they can be projected into space at negligible cost, unlike from Earthside. If the elementary materials are available, manufacturing finished products for interplanetary shipping is only a logical next step. Hundreds of billions will be spent in interplanetary exploration in the 21st century, and the cost of providing goods from the moon will be a small fraction of lifting from Earthside.