Glad to know the experts are thinking about this.
Scientists have identified the ideal location for a Moon base - a crater where the sun always shines and the temperature is a relatively cosy minus 50C.Posted by Alan at April 14, 2005 12:49 AMA lunar base camp would enable Nasa to take advantage of the Moon's low gravity and its resources to launch missions to the rest of the solar system.
Many designs have been put forward by scientists and engineers, ranging from igloos to inflatable structures, buried structures and domes. Hotels, laboratories, obser-vatories, sports arenas and mining and manufacturing plants have also been suggested.
Today, in the journal Nature, scientists announce the best place to build a base after analysing 53 images of the lunar north pole.
A Briton, Dr Ben Bussey, and his colleagues at Johns Hopkins University applied physics laboratory near Baltimore, have found areas on the northern rim of Peary crater - one of three large craters in the region - that are likely to bask in permanent sunlight.
The estimated minus 50C temperature contrasts with those in equatorial regions which fluctuate from 100C to minus 180C, putting much greater strains on machinery.