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Artist rendition of Lunar Colony exterior. (Credit: NASA; art by Rick Guidice)

Earlier this month, many of us were thrilled to learn that four astronauts had been selected for a mission to orbit Earths Moon, followed by the Artemis III Moon landing mission set to launch in late 2025. Although robot explorers have been sent to the Moon, humans last visited the Moon in 1972. Thats a hiatus that reminds me of the gap in visits to the South Pole, which went unvisited between 1912 and 1956.

However, just because humans were not visiting the Moon in actuality didnt prevent SF authors from imagining what it might be like were humans to establish an enduring presence there. Indeed, the lack of actual Moon bases permitted imaginations to roam freely, as these five examples should make clear.

Humans brought their vices with them when they settled the Moon. As a lunar cop, Lieutenant Anna-Louise Bachs job means investigating the same sorts of crimes she would face were she working in a Terrestrial city of a previous century, However, increasingly sophisticated technology introduces complications no 20th century investigator had to unravel. Take, for example, the Barbie Murders.

The Temple of the Standardized Church uses surgery to remove the genitals of devotees and transform them into identical copies, one virtually indistinguishable from the next. Uniformity comforts the faithful. When a serial killer begins targeting members of the church, uniformity complicates investigation. Bach is nothing if not determined, however, and will go to great lengths to arrest the guilty party.

has advanced surgical technology which is able to reshape flesh at whim. It does not, however, appear to have anything like DNA testing, which would have simplified matters greatly. It does have offensive slang terms, an example of which would be calling the Temples member Barbies, a term unauthorized by the faithful and by the Mattel company

On an unrelated note, the 1980 collection The Barbie Murders was later retitled Picnic on Nearside.

Teen Matt Roney lives on a developed Moon: a nation that won its independence decades ago, a world that is part of an interstellar trade network. Although Matts father might point out how limited lunar resources are, no Lunarian is homeless or hungry. This does not mean they are all happy.

Some teens might complain that everything of significance has been accomplished, that there is nothing left for them to do. Matts problem is exactly the opposite. Many alternatives present themselves. To choose one means rejecting all the others. How then can Matt be certain he will select the best alternative?

This being a John M. Ford novel, the author has lovingly worked out the intricate details of lunar infrastructure, then included in the novel only those details about which the characters would logically reflect. He trusted readers to fill in the blanks.

If you arent interested in blank-filling, Fords essay To the Tsiolkovsky Station provides more details. It can be found in the NESFA-published volume, From the End of the Twentieth Century.

Tae Toenji believes she knows how to make lunar tourism pay where all previous efforts have failed. Her key insight: wealthy couples will pay exorbitant fees for lavish weddings. A lunar wedding facility could cater to the hyper-rich at hundreds of millions of yen per person! Since Tae is only thirteen, others will have to handle the heavy lifting of turning her vision into reality.

Taes grandfather Sennosuke Toenji, chairman of Eden Leisure Entertainment, contracts the task to Gotoba Engineering. Engineer Aomine Sohya is selected for a central role in the decade-plus projects, possessing as he does (or so his boss believes) an ideal combination of talent and expendability. Can Taes vision be made reality? People like Sohya will find out.

One of the things that jumped out at me on reading this was that many characters are well aware that the financial case for a lunar wedding chapel is tenuous, although they are careful to ensure the CFO is kept in the dark about that. Page later I discovered that the actual goal of the project is not the stated goal and since that true purpose is a spoiler, I will restrict myself to a simple But surely, therapy would been more cost-effective?

In this ongoing webtoon, the world effort to save civilization was 10/11th successful. Only a small fraction of the approaching asteroid impacted on Earth. Of course, 1/11th of an apocalypse is still terrible. Resupply missions to the Moon colony will be affected, so it is decided that all the lunar staff will return to Earth before the impact.

One staff member, Moon Yoo, is left behind. He is overlooked, which is understandable, because he is introverted, lacks friends, and is so retiring as to be unmemorable.

Yoo is trapped up on the Moon. He briefly considers ending it all but discovers that available methods either do not work or scare him. Of course, he need not die immediately. The lunar facility is automated and filled with more supplies than Yoo can consume in decades. Yoo settles into a life of boredom and melancholy.

Unbeknownst to Yoo, his travails are intermittently transmitted to a recovering Earth. For the people of Earth, the fragmentary messages paint an inspirational picture of a heroic figure struggling to survive on the hostile Moon. Thats not how it seems to him.

This webtoon has a certain melancholy charm, like the manga Girls Last Tour.

A meteor impact has devastated much of the Earth and catastrophically affected the climate. Runaway greenhouse effects will turn the planet into a new Venus. Very luckily for humanity (and such species as we might see fit to preserve), the process is slow enough that

A functioning Moon colony is key to successful Mars colonization. Protagonist Nicole Wargin is a key player, both in her own right as one of the Lady Astronauts that give this series its title (this is the third book) and also because of her influence on her highly-placed, ambitious politician husband. When sabotage threatens the lunar space program, Nicole gets to develop a whole new skill set: counter-espionage.

Who would sabotage the colonization effort? Not all of Earths remaining human inhabitants are on board with the efforts to colonize Mars. Many groups suspect (with good reason) that they will deemed surplus to requirements and left behind. Saving some is better than none is probably a lot more convincing to people who think they will be part of the rescued remnant than those who are convinced that they will be left behind to die.

***

There are, of course, many post-Apollo Moon base stories I could have used but didnt (Bovas Millennium, for example, or Ruschs The Disappeared, for another). If I missed one of your favourites, feel free to mention them in comments below.

In the words of fanfiction author Musty181, four-time Hugo finalist, prolific book reviewer, and perennialDarwin Award nomineeJames Davis Nicoll looks like a default mii with glasses. His work has appeared in Interzone, Publishers Weekly and Romantic Times as well as on his own websites,JamesNicollReviews(where he is assisted by editor Karen Lofstrom and web person Adrienne L. Travis) and the2021 and 2022 Aurora AwardfinalistYoung People Read Old SFF(where he is assisted by web person Adrienne L. Travis). His Patreoncan be found here.

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Five SF Stories About Moon Bases and Lunar Settlements - tor.com

Developed by Haemimont Games, the same studio behind city-builders Surviving Mars and Tropico 5, Stranded: Alien Dawn requires less expertise from players, even on the hardest levels of difficulty. Although it doesn't go as deep as Rimworld when it comes to the building options, the game is easier and more streamlined to accommodate all kinds of players.

In Stranded: Alien Dawn, you guide a group of survivors who have just crashed on an alien planet. It's the same scenario that many of these games have used in the past, but since this is a full-fledged sandbox experience, there's not much of a story behind it. Before you jump into the game, though, Stranded: Alien Dawn lets you define the parameters of your scenario and choose the group of survivors to take with you on an alien planet.

It might not seem so at the beginning, but this is a very important part of the game since each survivor comes with their own skills, strengths, and weaknesses. This is one of those games where people start crying if they only eat emergency rations scavenged from your crashed ship for a very long time. Some might be vegans, while others require meat from time to time.

There's a lot to consider when choosing the planet where you want to start building your colony. Some have been overrun by lush vegetation and have the perfect climate for growing various types of crops, while others are arider and lack many of the basic resources and conditions that a starting colony might need.

Photo: autoevolution

I've played through multiple scenarios, and I have found that the best strategy is to build my first colony as close to the crashed ship as possible to cut down on the time required to move all the scavenged resources. Sometimes it can be just a temporary base if the terrain isn't suitable for building a much bigger colony, but it saves a lot of time to have a deposit near the ship.

Time is one of the most valuable resources in Stranded: Alien Dawn. There's no certain recipe for success in this game, you just have to figure out for yourself what to build and research first. Well, except for shelters for your survivors, which should be the first thing you build after you land. Food is the most important resource at the beginning of the game. A large amount of emergency rations can be scavenged from the ship, but your survivors will need some cooked meals too from time to time.

Keeping your survivors healthy and happy is one of the many things you need to pay attention to in Stranded: Alien Dawn. Survivors can have breakdowns for various reasons, especially if they are overworked and don't have enough entertainment (or not at all). I was surprised to see how my first colonists could find relaxation and refreshment in the simplest ways. Singing or just watching the local flora and fauna can provide much-needed moments of respite.

Although you'll be starting with small shacks without roofs, a pretty vast research tree will help you build the colony of your dreams. In between bug attacks, breakdowns, and random exploration events, your colonists can research various technologies that will help raise their quality of life and, of course, their chance of survival.

Photo: autoevolution

The game certainly lacks narrative elements, but it makes up for it with a great overall presentation. Perhaps more scenarios would've increased its replayability, but I'm not truly worried about that because Stranded: Alien Dawn does feature support for mods. I can't wait to see what the community comes up with in the coming months.

Its only fault is that the endgame quickly turns into a tower defense if you don't play with the "pacification" option enabled. Also, there are no other humans or alien species on any of the planets in the scenarios, just flora and fauna.

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Stranded: Alien Dawn Review (PC): One of the Best Colony ... - autoevolution

Ill never forget the first time I heard about The Expanse. It had been few years ago, and we were just getting to the end of a long and dreary winter. A hint of spring hung in the air, yet I still hadnt shaken off the last dregs of the retreating cold and dark season. One of my co-workers at the time asked me if Id ever heard of the TV series The Expanse, based off the books by James S. A. Corey. When I replied I hadnt, he told me to check it out. I remember writing the shows name on a little sticky note at work and tucking it away to look into later. When I finally sat down to watch the show, I was completely drawn in, lost in space in the most perfect way. Im forever thankful for that friends recommendation and for not losing that sticky note. Its led to me looking for even more books like The Expanse.

James S.A. Coreys The Expanse series includes nine books, a number of spin-off stories, and six seasons of the show adaptation on Amazon. The premise involves a future where humans have expanded beyond the Earth to the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt beyond, and these settlements have become locked in a perpetual power struggle for dwindling resources and control of the solar system. Amidst all this, Jim Holden and his crew make a dangerous discovery near Saturn, while detective Joe Miller attempts to track down a missing girl in the Belt.

I love everything about this series, which is why Ive been craving more books like The Expanse. The political intrigue between Earth, Mars, and the Belt paired with the underlying mystery keeps the suspense thick, but its the characters that elevate the series from great to exceptional. Earther captain Jim Holden, Belter engineer Naomi Nagata, Belter detective Joe Miller, Earther mechanic Amos Burton, Martian pilot Alex Kamal, UN diplomat Chrisjen Avasarala, Martian marine Bobbie Draper I love each and every one of these characters, and I could go on with more. These characters find a way of sticking in your heart, and you cant help but root for them no matter how many odds get stacked against them. In celebration of how much I love this series, Ive compiled a list of eight books like The Expanse for my fellow fans.

If youre seeking a book with the feel of The Expanse, look no further than this epic space opera series by Arkady Martine. It promises so many of the elements that make The Expanse great, including tense political intrigue in space, dark mystery, and endearing characters. Mahit Dzmare is an ambassador for a small Mining Station who has just arrived in the center of the Teixcalaanli Empire. When she discovers her predecessor dead, Mahit begins investigating.

Speaking of political intrigue in space, after you finish A Memory Called Empire, check out this gripping series by Megan E. OKeefe. The key players of this novel include siblings Sanda and Biran Greeve. In the midst of an interstellar war brewing, sergeant pilot Sanda gets shot down only to wake up 230 years later alone on a ship with a mysterious AI for company.

Something I love about The Expanse is the dynamics between people in close proximity aboard spaceships. Combine that with the heady rush of traveling to a new planet and youve got this suspenseful read by Vietnamese American author Lena Nguyen. Plus, this one also involves mysterious symptoms arising in the crew members, which feels a bit reminiscent of the strange effects of the protomolecule on people in The Expanse. Psychologist Dr. Grace Park has joined a crew traveling to a cold new planet. Her assignment: study the 13 crew members onboard. Forewarning, tensions are about to get very high onboard.

This gorgeous graphic novel by Tillie Walden also focuses on the interactions between people aboard spaceships, but in a much more cozy way than We Have Always Been Here. I think my absolute favorite aspect of The Expanse is the found family in space feel that we get with the charismatic crew of the Rocinante, and this is just the book to read if you dig that too. Like The Expanse, this book opens with a crew out in deep space salvaging ships and features a poignant romance narrative. Mia has just joined the ships crew with hopes of finding the girl she fell in love with at boarding school.

This sci-fi book by S.B. Divya is perfect for fans of the badass Martian marine Bobbie Draper in The Expanse. Like Bobbie, Welga Ramirez is an ex-special-forces-turned-bodyguard. The year is 2095, and people have now become dependent on pills to help them compete against AI in the economy. Ramirezs plans for retirement get stalled when her client gets murdered by a mysterious group known as The Machinehood.

If you got drawn into the dark dynamics of the overpopulated Earth in The Expanse, youll want to check out this emotional sci-fi novella by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of Mexican Gothic. Despite the crushing realities of her life in Mexico City working odd jobs and as a friend-for-hire, Amelia still maintains hope of one day escaping and reaching the human colony on Mars.

Interested in the space mystery themes of The Expanse? This compelling book by Micaiah Johnson is one you cant miss then. In the future, humans have unlocked the secrets to multiverse travel. The only catch is you cant visit a world where an alternate version of yourself still lives. Cara finds herself in a unique position to travel to 372 worlds, since her doppelgngers seem to be dying off left and right.

And last, but certainly not least, I decided to close with this thought-provoking and intriguing sci-fi read by one of my favorite authors, Emily St. John Mandel. If you fell in love with the moody detective Miller in The Expanse (I know I did), then youll want to get lost in the pages of this book next. In the year 2401, Gaspery-Jacques Roberts works as a detective in the Night City on the moon. Gasperys agenda? Investigate a strange anomaly appearing across time on Earth, including the years 1912, 2020, and 2203.

The Expanse is one of my favorite series, and I hope Ive shared some of my love for it with you. If youre ever in need of a pick-me-up like I did that winter years ago, I hope these books will bring you just as much joy as The Expanse did for me. For more related reads, you may also want to peruse these awe-inspiring space operas. Before I sign off, Ill leave you with this powerful quote by Naomi Nagata in Season 6 Episode 6 of The Expanse, The universe never tells us if we did right or wrong. Its more important to try to help people than to know that you did.

To get even more recommendations based on your favorite shows, your least favorite tropes, or any other elements of your unique reading taste, check out TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations, where our professional book nerds match you with books youre sure to love.

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Expand Your Bookshelf With These 8 Interstellar Books Like The Expanse - Book Riot

New Delhi,UPDATED: Apr 25, 2023 14:21 IST

By India Today Science Desk: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is all set to make history as it awaits the landing of its Rashid rover on the surface of the Moon onboard the world's first private mission to the Moon, Hakuto-R.

The private Japanese mission will attempt the lunar landing on Tuesday to get its name in history books. The Hakutor-R mission arrived in lunar orbit about a month ago and has since been orbiting the Moon, getting closer. The spacecraft will now begin a 100-kilometer descent to the surface of the Moon.

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The Rashid rover was launched to the Moon in December 2022 blasting off atop a SpaceX rocket. It took nearly five months for the Japanese lander and its experiments to reach the moon, covering 1.6 million kilometers in the vacuum of space.

The Hakuto-R mission is carrying UAE's first lunar mission to attempt a landing on the surface. The Rashid rover, developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in Dubai, is neatly packed inside the Hakuto-R lander and is heading to the Moon on a low-energy trajectory.

The Rashid rover has been designed by Emirati scientists to demonstrate lunar surface transportation and mobility. The four-wheeled rover with differential gear can move at a top speed of 10 centimeters per second and climb an obstacle height of 10 centimeters with a slope of 20 degrees.

The 10-kilogram rover is equipped with two cameras to ensure panoramic visibility of the rover's surroundings. The rear-mounted CASPEX camera will deliver images of the lunar soil with high spatial resolution. The cameras will be used to investigate the detailed wheel-soil interaction on the Moon. The microscopic imager on Rashid will obtain the highest resolution image of the lunar surface to study the topmost layer of the lunar regolith.

Also Read | 'We have no communication': China's Zhurong rover is dead on Mars

The rover will also study the plasma around the Moon to help understand how charged particles interact with the lunar surface. Scientists will also investigate the interaction of the rovers surface materials with solar radiation.

Named after the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the builder of modern Dubai, Rashid is part of the UAEs broader strategy to become a major player in the field of space exploration. If the moon mission succeeds, the UAE and Japan would join the ranks of only the US, Russia, and China as nations that have put a spacecraft on the lunar surface.

The UAE has plans to develop the Middle Easts most advanced commercial satellite to produce high-resolution satellite imagery. It has also set the ambitious goal of building a human colony on Mars by 2117. The UAE has already succeeded with its Mars mission as the Hope probe continues to deliver key findings around the Red Planet.

Also Read | There is a new threat to life on Earth. It could cause extinction-level event

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Meet Rashid, the Emirati rover set to land on Moon with Japan's Hakuto-R lander today - India Today