Moon Miners' Manifesto

#1 December 1986

Introduction to First Issue of Moon Miners' Manifesto

Forward to the Web Edition of MMM #1, Dec. '86

There follows the introductory and only essay article in thefirst issue of Moon Miners Manifesto, December 1986, shortly afterthe founding in Milwaukee of what was then the Milwaukee LunarReclamation Society L5, a chapter of the L5 Society advocatingsettlements in space after the inspiration of Gerard K.O'Neill.

This piece is about the historical roots of the inspirationbehind MMM. Herein lies the personal "eureka" that gave birth to thebrainstorming chain of thought that continues throughout manyarticles in MMM through the present. It explains the third "M", "theManifesto". For while many readers refer to MMM simply as "MoonMiners", to Peter Kokh, the emphasis has always been on the third M.To him, this newsletter is "The Manifesto".

[While at the time of this posting, issues #2-87 have yetto be posted to the web, we thought it important to include thebeginnings of it all, by posting this piece.]

AnILLUSTRATED version of this article is on the LunarReclamation Society website

"M" IS FOR "MOLE"

"M" is for "mole", which is what many people, even some prominentspace advocates, think settlers of the Moon are going to be. Yes,lunar habitats and facilities will be covered by some 2-4 meters(6-13 feet) of lunar soil or "regolith." But, while such a shieldingoverburden is necessary for long- term protection from cosmic rays,solar flare outbursts, and the sun's ultraviolet rays, this doesnot mean that we "moon miners" can't take the glory and warmthof sunshine down below with us!

Last year [1985], following up on an ad in TheMilwaukee Journal's Sunday Home Section, I went to see amarvelous place called "Terra Luxe" [Earth Light] in the HolyHill area about thirty miles northwest of Milwaukee. Here,architect-builder Gerald Keller (means "cellar" in German) had builta most unusual earth-sheltered or underground home.

Run-of-the-mill underground homes are covered by earth above andto the west, the north, and the east, while being open and exposed tothe sun along the south through a long window wall. But Mr. Keller'slarge home (over 4,000 square feet) was totally undergroundexcept for the north-facing garage door. Yet the house was absolutelyawash in sunlight, more so than any conventional above-ground house Ihad ever seen. Sunlight poured in through yard wide circular shaftsspaced periodically through main room ceilings. These shafts weretiled with one inch wide mirror strips. Above on the surface, anangled cowl, also mirrored on the inside, followed the sun across thesky from sunup to sundown at the bidding of a computer program named"George" (undoubtedly of "let-George-do-it" fame).

And, even more amazingly, through an ingenious application of theperiscope principle on the scale of picture windows, in everydirection you could look straight ahead out onto the surroundingcountryside, even though you were eight feet underground. I felt farless "shut in" than I do in my own "Milwaukee Bungalow."

Terra Luxe was built as an idea house and my tour cost $4. Thishome would make an ideal group field trip tour, but unfortunately,some visitor found it too irresistible, and it is now privatelyowned.

Of course, Mr. Keller's ingenious ideas to bring down below bothsunshine and view, would have to be adapted to lunar buildingconditions. But I have no doubt that they could be. Mr. Keller toldme that he had drawn up plans and blueprints for a whole city usinghis principles. Someday, I'd like to see them. If the streets andbyways of his city were similarly built in a sundrenched pressurizedunderground conduit, so one could leave one's lunar home and goanywhere throughout the settlement without putting on a spacesuit,why, it'd be better than living in the Milwaukee I love!

Contents of this issue of Moon Miners' Manifesto