The colonization of the Moon is the proposed establishment of permanent human communities or robot industries on the Moon.
Recent indication that water might be present in noteworthy quantities at the Lunar poles has increased interest in the Moon. Polar colonies could also avoid the problem of long Lunar nights - about 354 hours, a little more than two weeks - and take advantage of the sun continuously, at least during the local summer (there is no data for the winter yet).
Permanent human habitation on a planetary body other than the Earth is one of science fiction's most prevalent themes. As technology has advanced, and concerns about the future of humanity on Earth have increased, the argument that space colonization is an achievable and worthwhile goal has gained momentum. Because of its proximity to Earth, the Moon has been seen as the most obvious natural expansion after Earth.
Read more about Colonization Of The Moon: Proposals, Moon Exploration, Advantages and Disadvantages, Locations, Economic Development
Famous quotes containing the word moon:
“It was the most wild and desolate region we had camped in, where, if anywhere, one might expect to meet with befitting inhabitants, but I heard only the squeak of a nighthawk flitting over. The moon in her first quarter, in the fore part of the night, setting over the bare rocky hills garnished with tall, charred, and hollow stumps or shells of trees, served to reveal the desolation.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)