The Lunar Base

In some ways the moon is a better place for a space-station than one which is only a few hundred miles above the earth. There is no atmosphere to make the stars and planets twinkle; also the moon takes a month to turn on its axis instead of only a day. The stars would be visible for much longer and they could be seen even in the daytime. There would be no sunlight to dim their brilliance as happens in the bright blue skies we see above the earth.

Of course lunar explorers will have to eat and breathe. Oxygen must be provided to keep them alive. But not all the oxygen on the earth is found in our atmosphere. There is much in the rocks, too, although it is mixed with other things. It may exist in the rocks on the moon. Crops could be grown on the moon in specially sealed greenhouses, feeding on minerals dissolved in water. They would have fourteen days of continuous sunlight to help them grow.

Getting away from the moon would be much easier than getting away from the earth. Because of its smaller mass the moon's gravity pull is only a small fraction of that exerted by the earth.