The day will come when the United States will want to return to the Earth's Moon. When that occurs, NASA may look to the Apollo program for technical and inspirational guidance. The Apollo program, however, was designed to be an end to itself--the landing of a man on the Moon and his return safely within the decade of the 1960's. When that was accomplished, the program folded because it was not self-sustaining. The next time we return to the Moon, we should base our planning on a program that is designed to be a sustained effort for an indefinite period. It is the thrust of this report that the South Pole Station of the National Science Foundation can be used to develop analogs for the construction, funding, and logistical support of a lunar base. Other analogs include transportation and national efforts versus international cooperation. A recommended lunar base using the South Pole Station as inspiration is provided, as well as details concerning economical construction of the base over a 22-year period. Hickam, H. H., Jr. Marshall Space Flight Center RTOP 307-52-00...

Homer Hickam’s memoir Rocket Boys and the movie adaptation October Sky have become one of the most popular stories in the world, inspiring millions to pursue a better life. But what happened to Homer after he was a West Virginia rocket boy? In his latest memoir, Homer recounts his life in college where he built the world's biggest, baddest game cannon, fought through some of the worst battles in Vietnam, became a scuba instructor, discovered sunken U-boats, wrote the definitive account of a World War II naval battle, befriended Tom Clancy, made a desperate attempt to save the passengers of a sunken river boat, trained the first Japanese astronauts, taught David Letterman to scuba dive, helped to fix the Hubble Space Telescope, wrote his number one bestselling Rocket Boys, and was on set during the making of October Sky. Although told with humor and wit, Hickam does not shy away from the pain and hardship endured and the mistakes he made during the tumultuous decades since his life in the town he made famous—Coalwood, West Virginia.

Advances in Space Science and Technology, Volume 10 provides information pertinent to the developments in space science and technology. This book discusses the logistic and shelter construction, environment, and transportation aspects of Antarctic and lunar exploration. Organized into five chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the comparison of the lunar exploration program with the exploration of Antarctica. This text then explores the surface geology of the planet Mars wherein the study emphasizes that water erosion transport does not exist, that an oxidizing atmosphere is absent, and that wind erosion must be minimal. Other chapters consider the problems associated with navigation aboard spaceships traveling between the stars. This book discusses as well the inadequacy of space communication systems as a means of providing an instantaneous and uninterrupted service. The final chapter deals with predictions about the utility of space flight. This book is a valuable resource for readers who are interested in space science and technology.