Newt Gingrich has grabbed headlines for promising to build a moonbase by 2020. But wait a second – is he skipping a step here?
Sure looks like it. According to NASA's "Space Colonization Basics," a lunar outpost should be the second stage in the process of totally dominating the galaxy. The moon comes loaded with an arsenal of design problems that NASA has yet to conquer. It's -387 Fahrenheit at night and well above boiling by day, creating serious problems when it comes to walking outside to fetch the morning's Moon News from your lawn. Also, at any given time about half of the moon is always dark, severely restricting the precious solar power available to moonizens.
