Outpost on Apollo's Moon

In this time of recession, many argue that space exploration of the Moon and Mars will stultify real science and absorb funds better spent on domestic concerns. In Outpost on Apollo's Moon, Eric Burgess refutes this argument. His powerful affirmation of the necessity and importance of a wide-ranging American space program that can develop lunar outposts and, ultimately, permanantly staffed, self-sufficient Moon bases is an eloquent defense of space exploration.
"As far as the American people are concerned," writes Burgess, "without continued expansion into space we will be sentencing our children to be stillborn in the womb of Earth while other nations venture forth into the great outside and strive for the adulthood of our species."
Outpost on Apollo's Moon begins with an examination of the scientific and philosophical rationales for space travel, as well as an in-depth look at the physical details of the Moon and those who have studied it. Numerous tables, charts, and illustrations enhance the analysis.
Burgess then assesses the success and failure of the various Apollo missions, and focuses on many of the physical and geological issues brought to light by them. Using the various programs as a starting point, Burgess shows how Apollo hardware and experience could be used to establish permanent human outposts on the Moon, paralleling what was done earlier on the Antarctic continent.
Burgess argues that the Moon could ultimately provide research centers, tourist attractions, economic resources, and rehabilitation centers for the physically handicapped, who would weigh one-sixth of what they do on Earth.
Drawing from his long experience in space activities. Burgess advances detailed proposals for the creation of operational lunar outposts. Throughout, he shows how colonization of the Moon could be extraordinarily useful for both science and commerce, and how the Moon could serve as a base of exploration for later ventures into the Solar System.
Outpost On Apollo's Moon provides not only a compelling scientific argument for space exploration and development but also a moral and philosophical one: "When we see countless billions of dollars wasted in dubious commercial enterprises,...when we see the cost of governing a nation increase orders of magnitude over the increase in population,...the investment in a space station, a base on the Moon, and a base on Mars seems minimal by comparison."