TAKE only pictures, leave only footprints鈥� is the message to visitors at many beauty spots. One place you won鈥檛 see it, though, will be at the first extraterrestrial national park, perhaps set up to preserve the spot on the moon where Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their giant leap for mankind.
It may still be some years off, but the imminent reality of space tourism is already prompting some archaeologists to start planning how to protect historic sites in space. With further moon missions planned, the fear is that the integrity of sites like Apollo 11鈥檚 landing place may be compromised. 鈥淭echnologically, probably the most important event in human history was to land on another celestial body,鈥� says Beth O鈥橪eary of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like the discovery of fire, or the first stone tools. They should be protected and preserved.鈥�
Since the Soviet Union鈥檚 Luna 2 crashed into the moon in September 1959, a total of 40 expeditions have touched the moon鈥檚 surface. Of these, 22 were launched by the US 鈥� including the six crewed , launched between 1969 and 1972. The Apollo missions alone left behind 23 large artefacts, including the descent and ascent stages of the lunar module landers, the third stages of the Saturn rockets used to fly them there, and the lunar rovers or 鈥渕oon buggies鈥� the astronauts used to explore once they arrived.
Advertisement
Around these are scattered smaller artefacts and personal items, such as Neil Armstrong鈥檚 boots and portable life-support system, scientific instruments and their power generators 鈥� and, of course, the iconic US flag which remains planted in the moon鈥檚 surface. Then there are the footprints and rover tread paths. Despite the passing of the years, these remain carved into the dust because the moon has no wind or rain to wash them away.
Anthropologist P. J. Capelotti of Penn State University in Abington has mapped out five 鈥渓unar parks鈥�. These cover the areas where the majority of the artefacts are concentrated and could be used as a basis for future preservation efforts. 鈥淣obody鈥檚 saying that the whole moon has to be off limits, but as people are starting to make plans for tourism and mineral extraction, or for putting a base there, they just need to be aware of them and work around them.鈥�
More craft are on their way. NASA鈥檚 LCROSS mission plans to crash an SUV-sized rocket into one of the moon鈥檚 poles later this year, in the hope of finding water there. Meanwhile, teams competing for the 鈥� for the first privately funded robot to reach the moon 鈥� have been offered a $5 million bonus if they photograph artefacts like the Apollo 11 lander.
One question yet to be addressed is how national governments and private companies should work together to ensure artefacts are protected. There is some evidence that the US government is interested in cooperating.
Towards the end of the 1990s, a space-flight company called , based in Palo Alto, California, laid out its plans for sending a commercial mission to the moon. These included making detailed maps of the moon and landing a capsule containing personal items, such as business cards and cremated ashes. Although the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which promotes the use of space for US interests, supported the mission, it stipulated that when it was over, TransOrbital鈥檚 rockets must crash well away from any historic US artefacts. TransOrbital ran out of money for the mission before it could be launched, but says it might try again in the near future.
That is not to say that all the relics of lunar exploration are equally deserving of protection. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think every tiny paint chip and tiny piece of metal is worthy of preservation,鈥� says O鈥橪eary. However, there are certain sites that everyone agrees should be protected. 鈥淎pollo 11 is a no-brainer,鈥� says Capelotti. There are also non-Apollo artefacts that he says should be considered.
Planetary cartographer Phil Stooke of the University of Western Ontario in London, agrees, noting in particular the significance of Luna 2. 鈥淚t crashed, but that impact site is every bit as historic as Apollo 11.鈥� Another one is Luna 9 鈥� the first spacecraft to land and send back pictures. 鈥淭hey ought to be preserved.鈥�
As for the remaining Apollo sites, Stooke proposes that some of them could be turned into research sites, looking at how electronics, metals and paints have degraded after years of exposure to solar radiation and extremes of temperature. Another Apollo site could be turned into a biological research centre, analysing the DNA and bacteria left behind in astronauts鈥� life-support packs, he suggests.
Once a consensus has been reached on which sites are worthy of preservation, and guidelines have been drawn up to stop them being damaged by future missions, the next question is how future space tourists should be allowed to interact with them. 鈥淟ooking at grey dust is going to hold its attraction for only so long,鈥� says Capelotti. 鈥淧eople are going to make pilgrimages to these sites.鈥�
One suggestion is to build domes over historic sites, or perhaps even hotels, with the artefacts displayed in the 鈥渓obby鈥�. Another is to construct a raised railway track over the sites, so tourists could look at them without being able to touch them. 鈥淚f Walt Disney was developing this, he would put a monorail around all five [lunar parks], so you could just do the entire Apollo tour,鈥� says Capelotti.
鈥淚f Walt Disney was developing this, he would build a monorail so you could do the Apollo tour鈥�
Stooke favours a more subtle approach, with sites being left open 鈥� perhaps with a boardwalk and an observation platform to prevent the footprints and rover tracks from being trampled on. 鈥淚鈥檓 inclined to think that putting a building or dome around the sites would detract from their austere grandeur,鈥� he says.
None of these measures is likely to be in place by the time the Lunar X Prize craft touch down, possibly towards the end of 2010. The competition鈥檚 organisers say that before the teams set off they must have their plans approved by a panel of judges, which will consult ethicists and legal experts on what is appropriate behaviour at historic sites. 鈥淭he fact that people even need to be looking at this issue is thrilling,鈥� says William Pomerantz, senior director of space projects at the X Prize Foundation. 鈥淚鈥檝e spoken to some of the Apollo astronauts about this and for the most part their response is: 鈥楽ure walk on my footprints 鈥� I鈥檓 just so excited you鈥檙e back on the moon鈥�,鈥� he says.
In time, perhaps the winners of the Lunar X Prize will come to argue that their own landing sites should be preserved as a historic chapter in humankind鈥檚 exploration of space. 鈥淭he great irony is that when a commercial spacecraft lands on the moon, that will be another first,鈥� says O鈥橪eary.
Read more: Apollo 11: Why the moon still matters
