Introduction to Appendix M: About the Moon

This appendix to the Artemis Data Book organizes basic information about our destination. It is the data source for mission plans and environmental data needed for design of the Artemis Project's spacecraft. As with all of the electronic edition of the Artemis Data Book, this appendix is a living document, continuously updated as new information and new analyses become available. We will expand the outline of this appendix as required to maintain the on-line reference data base for lunar pioneers.

We have by no means attempted to collect all knowlege about the moon in this work. Our purpose here is to provide the raw material for studies related to the Artemis Project. If you are looking for more detailed scientific essays, an excellent starting point is 'Lunar Sourcebook: A User's Guide to the Moon', edited by Grant H. Heiken, David T. Vaniman, and Bevan M. French; 1991, Cambridge University Press. The Lunar Sourcebook shows up more often than any other single work as a reference source for people doing technical work on the Artemis Project. So, where practical, we have attempted to parallel its organization in this appendix to the Artemis Data Book.