The Moon - David G Schrunk

This extraordinary book details how the Moon could be used as a springboard for Solar System exploration. It presents a realistic plan for placing and servicing telescopes on the Moon, and highlights the use of the Moon as a base for an early warning system from which to combat threats of near-Earth objects. A realistic vision of human development and settlement of the Moon over the next one hundred years is presented, and the author explains how global living standards for the Earth can be enhanced through the use of lunar-based generated solar power. From that beginning, the people of the Earth would evolve into a spacefaring civilisation.

Following the Apollo lunar expeditions which culminated in the exploration by the Apollo astronauts on parts of the lunar surface, humankind has not revisited the Moon since 1972. In this 21^st Century the resources of humankind are now sufficiently advanced to support the global human exploration and development of the Moon. In this new Millennium several nations, including Japan and China, have stated their intention to develop a lunar base during the first half of this century.

The major themes of the 1^st edition of THE MOON - Resources, Future Development and Colonization, a Wiley/Praxis title published in hardback at 34.95 in1999, which has to date sold 1200 plus, remain valid today.

For example, the Moon WILL be the next principal focus of space exploration and development, and the south polar region is increasingly likely as the first site of permanent lunar activities, as the authors predicted. Major events in space that have taken place since the publication of the 1^st edition of the Moonbook.

From the reviews of the second edition:

"This is basically a handbook describing what must be done to return to the moon, build permanent bases, and use them as a springboard for economic development such as mining, as well as to push further into the solar system and beyond. … This book … would be a valuable addition to the shelves of technical libraries, particularly those associated with schools of aeronautics, space exploration, or engineering. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals." (C. G. Wood, CHOICE, Vol. 45 (7), 2008)

"The Moon is a broad-scoped treatment of future lunar development, with a lot of technical information in an easy-to-read style. … this book is an interesting read for all different types of Earth-bound lunar enthusiasts. The book … briefly covering the formation, characteristics, and historical explorations of the Moon starting with Apollo. … The book has well-described ideas and illustrations for lunar development concepts. The scope includes discussion of robotics technology and its near-term application to lunar operations." (Gordon Woodcock, National Space Society, September, 2009)