Project Horizon

Infobox Military Structure
name = Lunar Military Outpost
location = Moon


caption =
built = planned to begin in January 1965
used = project cancelled
type = Outpost
controlledby = United States
garrison = 12 soldiers
commanders =
battles =

Project Horizon was a study to determine the feasibility of constructing a Military base on the Moon. On 8 June, 1959, a group at the Army Ballistic Missile Agency (ABMA) produced for the U.S. Department of the Army a report entitled "Project Horizon, A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Military Outpost". Some reasons cited were military and scientific advantages over other nations. The program would also assure demand for the rockets ABMA was designing. [cite web | url = http://www.hq.nasa.gov/pao/History/SP-4204/ch1-5.html | title = Missions for Saturn | publisher = NASA]

The Horizon lunar outpost was said to be necessary to protect United States interests on the Moon, to conduct Moon-based surveillance of the Earth and space, to act as a communications relay, and to serve as a base for exploration of the Moon. The permanent outpost would cost $6 billion and become operational in December 1966 with 12 soldiers.

Altogether impracticable, Horizon never progressed past the feasibility stage in any official capacity.

Design details

Wernher von Braun, head of ABMA, appointed Heinz Koelle to head the project team at Redstone Arsenal.

Associated vehicles

Spacecraft components would be lofted in 147 Saturn I and Saturn II booster launches, and then assembled in low earth orbit at a spent-tank space station.

A Lunar landing and return vehicle would shuttle up to sixteen astronauts at a time to the base and back.

Location

Rocket vehicle energy requirements would limit the base location to an area of 20 deg latitude/longitude on the Moon, from ~20° N, ~20° W to ~20º S, ~20º E. Within this area, three particular sites were chosen:
*northern part of Sinus Aestuum, near the Eratosthenes crater
*southern part of Sinus Aestuum near Sinus Medii
*southwest coast of Mare Imbrium, just north of the Montes Apenninus mountains.

Construction

*1964: 40 Saturn launches.
*January 1965: Cargo delivery to the moon would begin.
*April 1965: The first manned landing by two men. The build-up and construction phase would be continued without interruption until the outpost was ready.
*November 1966: Outpost manned by a task force of 12 men.

This program required a total of 61 Saturn I and 88 Saturn II launches up to November 1966. During this period some 220 tonnes of useful cargo would be transported to the Moon

*December 1966 through 1967: First operational year of the lunar outpost. A total of 64 launches were scheduled. These would result in an additional 120 tons of useful cargo.

Defenses

The base would be defended against Soviet overland attack by man-fired weapons:

* unguided Davy Crockett rockets with low-yield nuclear warheads
* conventional claymore mines modified to puncture pressure suits

Layout

The basic building block for the outpost would be cylindrical metal tanks, 3.05 m in diameter and 6.10 m in length.

Two nuclear reactors would be located in pits to provide shielding and provide power for the operation of the preliminary quarters and for the equipment used in the construction of the permanent facility. Empty cargo and propellant containers would be assembled and used for storage of bulk supplies, weapons, and life essentials.

Two types of surface vehicles would be used, one for lifting, digging, and scraping, another for more extended distance trips needed for hauling, reconnaissance and rescue.

A lightweight parabolic antenna erected near the main quarters would provide communications with Earth. At the conclusion of the construction phase the original construction camp quarters would be converted to a bio-science and physics-science laboratory.

Fictional references

In the documentary film Gaia Selene, author John C. Hemry states that an advantage of the Project Horizon military base would be invulnerability to a nuclear first strike. This advantage was obviated with the development of the nuclear naval submarine under Admiral Hyman G. Rickover and the Horizon never came to fruition.

References

ee also

*Lunex Project
*Colonization of the Moon

External links

* [http://astronautix.com/articles/prorizon.htm Project Horizon - Chapter 1]
* [http://gaiaselene.com/ Gaia Selene]