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FUTURES:
Winner of Sir Arthur Clarke Award for 'Best Written
Presentation', 2005
The
Moon (2) 
Our
Closest Neighbour in Space
- Diameter: 2,160 miles/3,476 km
- Distance from Earth: 238,856 miles/384,401 km
- Period of revolution: 29.5 days
- Rotation: 29.5 days
- Gravity (x Earth's): 0.16
- Axial Tilt: 6.73 degrees
- Temperature: 110C day max/-173C night min
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| One of my 'porthole' series of paintings
(also known as 'portals' on this site!), this time of a gibbous Moon seen
from space, with its night side faintly illuminated by Earthlight. (From
the private collection of S. Green.) |
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| Both this and the painting below were produced for my 1972 book Challenge of the Stars with Patrick Moore. This one shows a lunar base by Earthlight. There is a lunar ore processing plant, an optical telescope and a 'hydroponic garden' (green) for both growing vegetables and supplying oxygen. | ) |
| This shows an eclipse of the Sun by the Earth, seen from above the Moon. From here the Earth looks four times larger than the Moon does from Earth, so is also four times larger than the solar disc. The Earth's atmosphere forms a 'ring of fire' as sunlight is refracted by it, giving a lunar eclipse its typical coppery tint. The red glow is caused by the 'sunset' effect. |
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| This is pre-production art for a movie version of Arthur C Clarke's famous novel A Fall of Moondust. Sadly this has not yet made it to the screen, though itg still may. . . (Full story in Hardyware) | ) |
Exploring the Moon. Astronauts appear to have discovered signs of past volcanism, in the form of an extinct vent near the lunar pole, and orange soil. From Futures |
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| Even further in the future than the lunar bases above, it may be possible to terraform the Moon (see Mars and Venus pages). If so, a lunar hotel could have extremely high diving boards, and tourists could indulge in man-powered flight using giant wings or pedal-powered gliders. (From Galactic Tours with Bob Shaw, 1981.) | ) |
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Tel/Fax:
0121 777 1802 (intl: +44 -0)