How To Develop The Moon

by Ian Long

How To Develop The Moon presents a near-term blueprint for profitable lunar development with a focus on economic sustainability. Until recently, the (literally) astronomical costs associated with space launches rendered the notion of lunar development economically unsustainable. Financially unviable. Politically unadvisable. Practically unthinkable. Activities extending beyond orbit, with the exception of telecommunications, were confined to government-led initiatives, characterized by significant bureaucratic red tape, political uncertainty, and reliance on public funding. This has changed. This book will attempt to describe in as much detail as possible how to develop the Moon profitably.

Genres: Space

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 3, 2023

Reviews

[Jack Mulligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly interesting book which spares no details and really gets down to the nitty-gritty.it really inspires one.

[Prejudice Neutrino · Rating 5 out of 5]

"If it holds fuel it's a fuel tank, if it holds fish it's a fish tank, and if it holds humans it's a lunar habitat."

Man was this a fun book.

The single most comprehensive guide to lunar colonization I have come across. With a mix of modern and ancient history dispersed in-between.

The basic premise is that we need a new frontier.

It discusses heavy launch vehicles, cosmic shipping container standards, space tourism and lunar carrying capacity, launch frequency being the biggest limit on expansion, TRISO reactors, the need to balance imports and lunar resources, utilizing launch vehicles as initial primitive structures, and a whole lot more.

For being as short as it is, it sure covers a lot of ground. Definitely has me inspired about the future and has me thinking about many ideas that never crossed my mind before.

[Bob Goddard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful and well researched book, spelling out how and why we need to develop the Moon into a habitable extension of the human world.
Long eloquently discusses the technical issues we face in setting up home on our nearest neighbour, and the means we already possess to overcome them. He also explains why we should invest in this endeavour when we have so many problems back home on Earth.
The economic, societal, geo-political and existential reasons are clear: we need to return to the Moon as soon as possible and stay there for good this time. Recommended.

[Matthew Tortora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, humorously written, concise proposal on how to develop the Moon promptly and realistically.

The book takes a cursory overview into the methods, systems, and requisite measures needed to establish the moon as a working frontier. It does so while properly contextualizing the moon in both history as well as its potential.


Worthwhile, short read for anyone who wants to gain some foresight into the how of lunar colonization.

[Zachary Siegel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tbh this book is not actually worth reading. You can just watch the Anthrofuturism YouTube videos instead. Half the videos just directly quote entire chapters from the book and add animations.

I really appreciate the thought and research Ian out into building his conclusions. His perspective is refreshing and brings a reformed excitement to near term extraterrestrial development.

[Glenn Schmelzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This zooms down into nitty-gritty aspects of lunar development, and out to existential reason why we ought to do it.

Contains lots of great calculations for projects which a global economy could reasonably absorb.

[Frazer Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read. A combination of realising the possibilities and a spur of the imagination of the likely timeline of the next 20 years of Lunar exploration and development. I’ve took a few key learnings too. Nice work.

[Giulia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well done overview of how to tackle the main challenges of a complex project as developing a Moon base.