A Return to the Moon

 

 

The Peregrine Lunar Lander (Illustration)

After a period of fifty years, America is on the verge of landing on the moon. On December 11, 1972, Apollo 17 landed in the Taurus-Littrow highlands on the moon. Now, NASA plans a non-human landing on this satellite later this year, using the Peregrine lunar lander.

In co-operation with the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic, the mission aims to deliver twenty-four payloads to the moon. Most will be scientific experiments, but will include commercial payloads as well as cultural messages from various people around the planet.

Originally, the Peregrine mission was scheduled to launch last year, but became rescheduled due to delays caused by the pandemic. Astrobotic CEO John Thornton sees the venture as the first step in creating a sustainable moon delivery market, being the first of many such commercial space missions.

Interestingly, one of the payloads planned for the original launch was a capsule containing the ashes and DNA of the famous science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke. The plan was to deposit it on the moon’s surface. The author, fittingly remembered for classics such as the “Space Odyssey” series and “Profiles of the Future,” is remembered for his passion for space travel. At this time, it is unclear if this plan is part of the up-coming mission or will be postponed to a future one.

This idea is the brainchild of a company call Celestis, based out of Houston, Texas.  It seems that there is a demand for final-resting places on the moon. While full burials are not possible at this time, the company has many clients interested in having small capsules containing ashes and DNA of either themselves or their loved ones interred on the moon.

As the company’s CEO Charles Chafer told Space.com, “our Luna Service is among the most popular, as it affords families and friends the permanence of an off-planet service and provides a constant reminder in the night sky of a loved one’s final resting place.”

Amen.

Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanauthor.com) is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy, and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. He is published by Books We Love Inc. (www.bookswelove.com)

The Big Cheese, by J.C. Kavanagh

 

Darkness Descends
Book 2 of the Award-winning Twisted Climb series

Regular BWL blog readers will know that I have a great love of nature, in all its forms. I also have a particular fondness for the moon, in all its eerie glory. I have binoculars that are strong enough for celestial viewing and I take full advantage of clear, night-time skies. Did you know that the moon was formed four and a half billion years ago, about 60 million years after the solar system? Yeah, me neither. 

Scientists hypothesize that the moon was formed when a Mars-sized object hit the earth and the impact was such that a chunk of both the object and the earth ricocheted back into space and began to orbit the earth. Supporting this theory is the fact that the 'dark' side of the moon is 50 km (31 miles) thicker than the 'bright' side, allegedly because the projectile objects fused together. 

Rising full moon from my backyard, winter 2019

I also learned, courtesy of Wikipedia, that approximately five tons of comet particles crash into the moon every 24 hours. Back in 1651, an astronomer named Giovanni Battista Riccioli believed that the flat plains between the moon's craters were water-filled seas. In Latin, they were called 'maria.' Some believed that the cratered surface meant the moon might be composed of a cheesy substance. Today, we know the moon is composed of mainly iron, no dairy. Clear observations of the craters and 'maria' can be seen with the naked eye, and in greater detail courtesy of a good set of binoculars.

Quick view of the moon phases

Astronomers have determined that there are millions of craters on the bright side of the moon, and of those, 300,000 have a diameter greater than 1 km (0.6 mile).

My fascination with the full moon is found in my Twisted Climb books. The three main characters, Jayden, Connor and Max, meet in a moon-lit dream world and embark on many action-filled adventures. Here's a few 'moon' excerpts from The Twisted Climb and Darkness Descends:

Jayden Nanjee looked up. The full moon shone like a ghostly yellow torch against the midnight black of the night sky. The pale, low-lying clouds seemed to hug the earth as the moon peeked in and out of their embrace. 

And...

Creamy puffs of clouds filled the sky, circling the moon in a slow dance. His gaze followed the milky orb as it appeared to slide behind a cloud, throwing the field into murky gloom. 

And...

The moon slid behind a gathering of heavy, bloated clouds, leaving only shadowy blackness. 

And...

The moon was unfolding itself through the parting clouds, creating shadowy figures behind every tree.

And one more...

A yellowish full moon shone brightly from the heavens, ghoulishly displaying its pock-marked face. 

So yes, the moon played a pivotal role in the spooky setting of The Twisted Climb's dream world. If you're looking for a book series that will take you on one crazy adventure after another, then you have to read The Twisted Climb series. Moon-gazing will never be the same.

J.C. Kavanagh, author of
The Twisted Climb - Darkness Descends (Book 2)
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2018, Critters Readers Poll and Best YA Book FINALIST at The Word Guild, Canada
AND
The Twisted Climb,
voted BEST Young Adult Book 2016, P&E Readers Poll
Novels for teens, young adults and adults young at heart
Email: author.j.c.kavanagh@gmail.com
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