sci-fi - Author W. Scott Harral

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Building a lunar outpost has long detained humanity’s imagination. What would be the benefits to society that moon exploration could bring?

Are Earth’s endless biodiversity, fresh air, and the stable average temperature getting you down? Ever wanted to drop everything and set off to a place where life is nonexistent or more straightforward? Then take that 238,900-mile jaunt to the solar system’s launch deserted destination: The moon.

Sounds heavenly? Unfortunately, it’ll take much more than a simple rocket trip to achieve lunar paradise. And the first people to set up shop on the moon probably won’t be building vacation homes and resorts —as of now, NASA wants to create what’s a gas station for future trips to Mars.

According to astronauts, the moon’s lack of a genuine atmosphere does have somewhat of a “pseudo-atmosphere” called an exosphere. This is a magnetically suspended mix of particles and gasses stirred up from the lunar surface by the solar wind. But the elements that make up breathable air float around the moon at tiny concentrations compared to Earth. Taking a deep breath would be just as deadly on the moon as in the vacuum of space.

There’s also the issue of gravity: the moon is only about 1/6th of Earth’s. Given what people know about the effects of long-term weightlessness on astronauts, lunar residents would have to take precautions to keep healthy. Exposure to microgravity on the International Space Station (ISS) has been shown to accelerate bone and muscle loss and create cardiovascular issues because working against gravity is part of what keeps our bodies fit. That’s why astronauts on the ISS spend hours a day exercising to compensate for their absence. While the moon’s lack of gravity isn’t quite as extreme, experts say living long-term in any environment with reduced gravity could be detrimental to human health.

Despite these problems identified during the moon explorations, people continue to look for ways to live on the moon. Here are the reasons why:

Enhance engineering and technological capabilities. The moon presents numerous exciting engineering challenges. It is an excellent place to test flight technologies and capabilities, life support systems, and exploration techniques to decrease the risks and increase the productivity of the future mission. Humankind’s journey will provide everyone with the first experience of living and working in another world, allowing people to test advanced materials and equipment in space’s temperature and radiation extremes. People will learn how to best employ robots to explore remote locations, support human tasks, and gather information in potentially unstable regions.

Medical Researchers. Keeping astronauts healthy in a higher-radiation and lower-gravity environment than Earth is a vital challenge for medical researchers. The potential advantages to all humans are tremendous in terms of preventing and treating bone and muscle loss and some cancers. Other advances in medicine will follow!

Exploration of the moon’s resources also creates new business opportunities for technological innovations, applications, and utilization of new resources. There were minerals found on the moon that are called lunar minerals. Mineral resources are significant because these minerals exhibit a wide range of industrially important electrical, optical, magnetic, and catalytic properties.

A base for further exploration. Finally, establishing moon outposts enables adventurers and explorers to extend settlement and investigation to moons and planets beyond Earth. There is a whole universe of unknowns waiting for humanity to investigate!

Sci-fi novels such as “Moon Luck” by Scott Harral narrate the story of astronauts living on the moon for extended periods. It is also the story of the astronaut scientists and astronaut explorers as they grow plants on the moon, explore and find mineral ores, conduct experiments and research, and develop animosities and close relationships. When one of the base’s senior members dies in what seems to be an accident, the story follows the trail to discover the actual perpetrator, leaving us with the question: Is it murder if it happens on the moon?

Why do you think humanity should journey to the moon and ahead?

Moon exploration is a global undertaking. It provides a shared challenge that requires investment by many nations. Success in one’s journey to the moon and beyond requires the involvement and preparation of every scientist in different fields of expertise, such as; planetary scientists, engineers, medical researchers, physicists, chemists, mathematicians, mechanics, materials scientists, architects, doctors, communications and safety specialists, computer programmers, and many others. So be part of the journey as this would benefit the future generations of humankind.

Throughout history until now, poets have admired the moon’s beauty. Looking at it for hours, they would not tire from cherishing and appreciating its beauty. Years later, scientific and technological advancements showed that its surface had a desolate beauty.

The Lunar Missions

The Lunar Mission or the Moon Mission started in the late 1950s when the Soviet Union was ahead of the United States of America in space explorations. Therefore in 1961, US President John F. Kennedy gave inspiration and hope to the American people; he affirmed the landing of man on the moon and his safe return to the Earth before the end of the decade.

The US accomplished this goal eight years later by sending Edwin Aldrin and Neil Armstrong on the moon. The first step was risky and complex. However, many steps followed naturally after the first step, including many exploratory missions to study the moon’s surface and the universe.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong touched the lunar surface and said, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” His mission included collecting samples of the moon’s surface for further studies. Little was known that they would be the base for building buildings one day.

How Mankind Lives on the Moon

Life on the moon would be more disparate for explorers than life on Earth. From its lack of air to lighter gravity, the moon is a harsh mistress, just like the late sci-fi author Robert Heinlein claimed. The moon has no weather, no atmosphere, and oceans of water. Its surface is in an eternal nihility. Astronauts in pairs have lived on its surface only up to three days at a time in the small Lunar Module of the Apollo program.

Only twelve humans (the crews of Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, and 17) have ever walked on the moon’s surface. Apollo astronauts had to tread carefully or risk stumbling or falling because the moon’s gravity is only one-sixth of Earth’s gravity. They ultimately perfected bunny hops and a bouncing gait to walk along the lunar surface.

The sci-fi novel entitled Moon Luck by Wayne Scott Harral conveyed that one or more active stations will be permanently located on the moon in the coming decades. And another will inevitably take a human life while people live in these moon colonies. Harral’s glimpse into the near future as we inhabit the Moon leads one to question if humans will ever be prepared for the first time it happens.

What NASA Planners Foresee

NASA feels that traveling to the moon could help humans evaluate the mystery behind this vast universe. They believe that valuable resources on the moon can also be used for other space missions. Liquid oxygen is a significant component of the fuel needed for current space travel and other future missions. Also, the moon mission will lead scientists to the human-crewed mission to Mars by 2030.

Some experts also perpetuate that suborbital tourism will take off, and over one thousand people will be reaching space by 2020. Such a tourist spot would cost millions or billions, possible only for the super-rich people. Further, it will be followed by mining on the moon to use its resources.

The tremendous speed with which pollution and population increase has forced humans to look for other planets to live on. But when one looks at the ground reality, they still cannot imagine living in a place which would be deserted, with hardly any people and vegetation around. One thinks about how it would be with having to move with oxygen masks all the time. Compared to Earth’s lush and lively life, going on a vacation for a few days to the moon seems like a good adventure. However, planning to reside there seems rather tricky, at least now.

Upshots

The time may come when leaving Earth becomes necessary for the survival of the human race. American ex-president George W. Bush had this in mind when he proposed in 2004 that people should return to the moon and this time to stay. Lunar outposts have created a considerable amount of debate. Some argue that robots can perform the necessary tasks on the moon, and people do not need to inhabit its surface. While the logistics of inhabiting the moon are not yet worked out, the settlement will become imperative for the survival of humanity.

Moreover, humans have been sharpening their space abilities so that when one decides to return to the moon, it will be to stay.

Every author starts with an idea. Afterward, people think it’s smooth sailing from there – authors sit down with their laptops and continuously type for days on end. But what happens for most authors is that after having the aha! moment, the thought of interpreting the idea isn’t as simple as it seems.

Writing a novel isn’t an easy task, especially in writing science fiction. Besides, sci-fi authors aren’t simply narrating their experiences or day-to-day events; they create a new world. And as a writer, it is your responsibility to give your readers a new experience. Something mind gripping that they can’t help but revisit bits and bits of your book from time to time. Here’s how you achieve that:

Brainstorm

For starters, your idea might not be enough to create a couple of chapters for a book. To have a solid foundation for your story, you need to consider more aspects – overall theme, fantasy world, characters – to make your idea more intriguing.

There are hundreds of sci-fi stories out there. This means one thing: competition is tough. For you to stand out, you need to experiment with new ideas. Don’t be afraid to write about something new. One way to do this is by finding inspiration from the real world and putting your twist over it.

Take Wayne Scott Harral’s sci-fi and mystery book, Moon Luck, for example. Its main plot is simple: in a group of scientists, somebody dies, and they need to find out who killed them. But Harral adds his twist to the seeming cliche plot – he made it happen on the moon. The unique setting thrusts the story to a new perspective, where the characters have a different and limited means of solving their problem than how they normally would have.

Know Your Audience

If you’re thinking of publishing your work, you’re writing for others and not only for yourself. To create a compelling story, you must first know who your audience is. Whom are you attracting? What are the possible expectations they might have?

Plan Your Plot

Your characters need to have a circular character arc to be effective. This means they transform, grow and change throughout your story, and this can only be achieved through an organized plot.

To help sort out your plot, you need to pinpoint the heart of your story. What is its core? Is it about a son’s revenge against his family’s killers, or is it a story of acceptance and healing? After you’ve decided on your story’s core, you can then build conflict, complications, climactic events, and resolution around it.

Do Your Research

Just because you’re writing fiction doesn’t mean you can just write everything as you go. While most of its element does revolve around fiction and the somewhat impossible, science fiction – as the name says – is still, in a way, based on science.

Make sure you’re writing the right things. If a detail in your story mismatches your audience’s expectation, this can affect their immersion, likewise, your story’s impact. But while having accurate information is essential, you shouldn’t overwhelm your audience with facts. You don’t want them to feel like they’re reading a science textbook instead.

Create an Interesting World

Besides creating your plot, world-building is one of the most critical elements that carry your work to perfection. After all, everything in your story takes place in your made-up world. Therefore, if you fail to design it clearly, your readers will also have difficulty imagining your story.

Besides the structures in your world, you also need to pay close attention to how you mold your characters. Enjoyable characters are those whom your readers can relate to. While it’s understandable that it’s difficult to relate to wizards or superheroes, besides, we can’t shoot lasers from our eyes; you can still make your characters relatable by giving them actual everyday conflicts and fears. Make them more human than fiction.

In Moon Luck, though not everyone can relate to being an astronaut or a scientist, there still existed a more mundane plot point which was all about finding out who killed their colleague.

Be consistent with how you present your world

The structure of your world is essential to plan out but so should be its mechanism – the laws and the overall logic governing it. A novel doesn’t just end after a couple of short chapters. It means there is more room for you to commit mistakes with the uniformity of your world. Remember, while your story is fictional, your world should appear believable. Having a consistent world creates credibility and makes your story more enjoyable.

Ultimately, writing any type of novel isn’t an easy task. It takes a lot of brainpower and creative juices to make your idea come true.

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