It is the year 2150. The Moon harbors a settlement of approximately 50,000
people, mostly comprised by miners and workers, employed by the big lunar mining
and solar power consortiums. They are responsible for providing for the energy
sources that sustain all the colonies throughout the Earth-Moon system, and a
big part of the Home Planet as well. But it’s not only business on the Moon, for
a big part of the lunar population is just there for pleasure. The cislunar
transportation networks are always filled with a steady stream of tourists,
regularly visiting their private properties and other recreation facilities on
the Moon. When someone feels the need to just relax and escape the everyday
routine of life on Earth, the sight of the Blue Marble over the grey lunar
regolith in Armstrong City is one of his first choices—and one of the most
cherished tourist destinations in the inner Solar System. And those travelers
are always welcome there, because they have always been a major source of income
for the lunar economy.
Many space advocates
would argue that the prosperous future depicted above, although frustratingly
delayed, is ultimately inevitable. And they have maintained for decades that the
reason for any lack of progress toward realising that future has mostly been due
to the lack of adequate funding and subsequent political will. But it may be
that funding doesn’t even make for half the reasons for such lack of progress.
Forty five years ago
this month, Apollo 8 became the
first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon, during an epic mission that fulfilled
a centuries-old dream. One of the lasting legacies of this mission (and possibly
of the whole Space Age) is the iconic “Earthrise” photograph of our Home Planet,
seen by human eyes from the Moon for the first time. This sight helped to create
a paradigm shift within humanity’s collective conscience, bringing home the
reality of our place in the Universe more than anything else before it. It also
helped to give a tremendous boost to the environmental movement that recognised
the importance of environmental conservation and caring for Earth’s biodiversity
while seeking the balance between growth and care for the environment—an
important and necessary realisation for any maturing civilisation interested in
its long-term survival.
