Let's colonize the Moon!

Probably many of you when you were kids, you were dream of going to the Moon , or you imagined about Moon basis like domes in which cosmonauts would live . This can happen these days once technology has advanced greatly , making a tremendous leap in the last decade. My personal opinion is that the Moon would not be the first candidate for colonization, but Mars.

The easiest way is to get to the Moon but because to reach Mars is required a 6 month journey in space , unlike the Moon on which you can reach in a few days.

If we take into account the colonization of the moon which by the way is now prohibited by international treaties , the Moon being studied only for scientific purposes , it should be done strategically , not anywhere on its surface.

Building a Moon base have to be located at one of the lunar poles for several reasons :

1 . Solar energy . There are places at the south pole of the Moon for example, the Sun never sets , except on times of eclipses of the Moon when Earth’s shadow covers the Sun as seen from the Moon . With a Sun that never ceases to shine , the eventual Moon base would have continued solar energy. Malapert mountain, south of the Moon, located near the crater Shackleton is always sunny . Solar collection stations could provide electricity for a base if builded somewhere near this mountain .

Peary crater at the south can also be counted as a part of its surface is constantly exposed to the Sun, estimating that in this region there would be a stable temperature of 50 degrees Celsius , with temperatures comparable to those from Siberia.

2 . Water at the poles . Has already been demonstrated that there is water on lunar poles where sunlight never reaches . This would make the prospective settlers to have resources for consumption.

A Moon base on the unseen face of it is ruled out as it would have hampered direct communications with Earth  

 Either way , I think the humans will colonize the Moon first and only then a planet.
 
But before we think of any settlement , we should think about why we would do such a step . It is hard to believe that for the sake of science would be invested so much money for a base there. There must be something more valuable, namely the exploitation of resources. Only then it will be colonized , but as yet are not very good reasons to believe that we have something to be exploited for bringing profit and be also able to cover the costs of colonization , little chance . Perhaps only if we discover a mountain of gold there .

One reason more valuable and also that would quickly implement, would be an imminent asteroid impact with our planet which is known in advance , at least 5-10 years before.

Age of the Moon: 27 days
Distance: 387.568 km
Phase: 17% (0% = New, 100% = full)

Optics: Celestron C8 “-Newtonian telescope, 20mm Plossl, 2x Barlow
Mount: CG5 (EQ5)
Camera: Sony CX130
Filter: no
Date: 11/09/2012
Location: Baia Mare, Romania
Processing: Registax, FastStone Image Viewer