People on the Moon

What types of People will Settle the Moon?

It will take many types of people to build a successful lunar settlement. Many will have specific jobs or have had lengthy training. Others will go to the Moon with specific intentions, like mining or settlement.

This is a discussion of the possible types of people it will take to run a full scale lunar mining settlement such as the one described by Harrison Schmitt in Return to the Moon.

The competition for any of the lunar berths will be very stiff. People in different groups are apt to feel that others had it too easy getting to the Moon.

This list is also intended to help develop characters for stories about settling the Moon.

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Apollo 17 Moonscape with rover, NASA archive photo

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People on the Moon

They may be called "Mooners" or "Luners".

Astronauts (USA) / Cosmonauts (Russia) / Taikonaut (China?)

• They are the first group of people on the Moon
• These are government employees
• They are trained in US, Russia, or China
  • Their training location is indicated by their title
• They visit Moon only for short periods to do specific tasks
  • The stay a few days to a few weeks,
  • They rotate in and out over longer periods
• They are always expected to go home
• They deliver and install scientific equipment
• They help deliver and setup new facilities
• They deliver and help setup the first mining equipment
• They may be any sex or nationality
• Their selection has a political component
• What they want to do is to put their footprint upon the Moon
  • To go somewhere no one has ever gone before

Miners

They may be called "Sand Hogs".

• They are the second group of people on the Moon
• Their primary mission is to keep the mining machines, the sandworms, working
• They work hard and play hard
• They have contracted for a one way trip to the Moon
• They are past mid-career
• They expect to stay on the Moon for life
• They rarely return to Earth
• They are employees of The Company
• They may be either sex, but are rendered non reproductive by small operations
• They may be any nationality
• They are select by The Company from long list of volunteers
• They pass a very difficult physical examination
• Long psychological examination
• They usually serve as an Earth-side worker before their trip to the Moon
• They may provide any support service
• They may assist astronauts
• What they want is to:
  • Make the economics of the lunar mine work
  • To lay the ground work for lunar settlement
• Some are dead
  • They are buried on Moon
  • These may be made into computer avatars

Tour Guides

• They only stay for short periods on the Moon
  • A few days, rarely a week
• They look after the tourists
• They are tolerated by, but not liked by, the real lunar workers
• The fees paid by the tourists are important to early economic startup
• What they want:
  • To make lunar tourism work.

Tourists

• They only stay or short periods on the Moon
  • A few days
• They are very rich people
• They have a robot buddy at all times
• Their fees are important to early economic startup
• All other groups of lunar people have a love / hate relationship with them
  • They are subjects of snide comments by others behind their backs
• They are not allowed to convert to other types of Mooners
  • because of lack of training
• What they want:
  • To say then have been there (and you haven't).

Retirees

• Enjoy retirement in low gravity, self funded.
• A variation of the tourist.
• Very, very rich
• Own a large block of The Company stock
• May have political connections of value to the settlement
• Will have a valet robot with an Earth controller
• Will have already picked out their grave site and epitaph
• What they want:
  • To fulfill a dream

Settlers

• They intend to raise families on the Moon
• They come as couples and can have children
• They are in long term residents
  • probably for life
• They are the youngest age group
• They make attractive role models for young readers
• Their presence is possible only after the lunar facilities are well established
  • They are the last group to arrive
• Their job is to work in the mines and do all support services
  • They do most of the hard work of building a real settlement
• They help expand facilities
• They stress farming
  • They introduce animal husbandry
• What they want:
  • To settle the Moon

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People on Earth

It will take many people back on Earth to support the lunar settlement. They may be called "Earthers".

The Company managers

• The Company is a conglomerate of aerospace companies that won the lunar mining contract
  • A publicly held company
• The public reports on He-3 production must be accurate
• The Company is both loved and hated by Mooners
• The managers do not tell the Mooners everything
• They are obsessed with He-3 mining
• They do almost all managing from Earth
• They want:
  • To make the lunar economy work
  • To become wealthy and powerful

NASA and other National Space Agencies Employees

• They have a long legacy of space expertise
• They are interested in science
• Their presence on the Moon is required by law
  • Commercial operation is only allowed under a national cover
• They are bureaucratic, political, and promote national interests
• They want to:
  • Make their nations look good
  • Make their nation's people feel good

Earth-Side Workers

• They live and work on Earth
• They are in almost continuous communication with the Moon
  • There is a 1.3 second communications delay each way
• Some work for The Company
  • These remotely operate mining robots
• Some work for the government
  • These support Astronauts
• Many are potential Miners
  • This work is a required experience before you can go to the Moon
• A few are potential settlers
• Some of them have physical challenges
  • They may work from wheelchairs
  • They may be blind and work by sound
• What they want:
  • To make a living
  • To be part of something big

Earth-Bound Enthusiasts

They may be called "Certified Space Cadets" or "Want-to-bes"

• Many are miner want-to-be
• Many are settler want-to-be
• Some run Lunarpedia
• Their participation is important in exercise sports
  • Mooners must exercise every day
  • Competitive sports on exercise machines make this bearable
  • The Mooners and Earth-bound people play together remotely
• Some are amateur astronomers supporting a small scope on Moon
• Some are Ham operators insuring an independent com link to the Moon
• They are important in maintaining political support for the whole effort
• What they want:
  • To be part of something big and exciting
  • To go to the Moon

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People with Challenges

NASA is particularly interested in encouraging participation of people with physical challenges (AKA disabilities) in the back to the Moon mission.

The Rovers:

• They are Earth people
• Some are in wheelchairs
• They operate the rover style robots
• Their supervisor is in a wheelchair
• Software was developed to meet their special needs
• They are working hard to get one of their own to the Moon as a miner
• Sometimes others derogatorily referred to them as "Chairs"
• They want to:
  • Be a part of something real

The Sonics:

• Some are operators of small robots
  • that have limited vision but navigate with laser range finding
• Many Sonics are blind
• They run one class of robots used for house keeping (dust and sanitation)
  • A minor but necessary job
• They run one class used in the Cold and the Dark (polar craters)
  • They have very important to work at the poles
  • They work in total blackness
• Their robots minimally disturb the environment they are in
  • Walk on small, cold feet
• They are critical for some science and geology work
• They want to:
  • Be part of something real

Other Considerations

Nationalities

• All groups may have people of any nationality
• Many are from the major space-faring nations:
  • USA, Russia, China
• Some are from other space participants include:
  • Europe, Canada, Japan, India, Israel
• Tourists and retirees can come from any wealthy country, e.g. one of the first space tourists was Mark Shuttleworth from South Africa. Middle Eastern oil families are likely. There are billionaires in most countries in Asia, e.g. Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, also Australia, New Zealand.
• Some are from odd places and nobody can quite figure out how they got to the Moon

Transitions

Some types of people can change into other types, and some cannot.

Allowed transitions:

• Astronaut to miner
• Astronaut to Earth worker
• Astronaut to settler
• Earth-bound enthusiast to miner
• Dead miner to avatar
• Settler to miner (by death of partner)

Not allowed:

• Tourist to miner or Settler (At least not without returning to Earth first. They are not properly trained and those who worked hard to get to the Moon fairly would resent them.)
• Miner to settler (The minors are required to be older workers. The females would likely be past reproductive age. Many male miners would have vasectomies. The settlers are required to be fertile.)

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