Don’t tread on Tranquility

LAS CRUCES – You might think that the surface of the moon, with no weather and no human beings, would be the perfect place to protect and preserve a historic artifact like a footprint in lunar dust.

But with the development of the commercial space industry and several nations growing space programs, some believe it may be time to establish protections for Tranquility Base, the 1969 lunar landing site where Apollo 11 astronauts Neil A. Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took giant steps for mankind.

“Preserving the place and the artifacts of that historic era is really important,” said Beth O’Leary, an associate professor of anthropology at New Mexico State University. “I rank landing on the moon right up there with the discovery of fire.”

The lunar landing site, she said, “can answer questions about who we are. It answers questions about the human need to explore.”

O’Leary and Chico State University (Calif.) archaeology professor Lisa Westwood have helped draft federal legislation to make Tranquility Base a national historic landmark. They are working with California Rep. Dan Lungren and his staff on the measure aimed at protecting the site and artifacts left behind from future interference. The legislation, if approved, could pave the way for an effort to nominate the lunar site for the United Nations’ list of “world heritage” sites that are considered to have global significance.

O’Leary’s interest in the effort was launched more than a decade ago in an NMSU graduate class when a student asked if national historic preservation laws applied to lunar landing sites. Under international treaty, the United States and other nations have agreed not to claim any part of the moon as their own. And while the United States owns objects, such as part of a spacecraft lander, a U.S. flag and other equipment left during past missions, nothing legally prevents any explorers from intruding on Tranquility Base or handling the artifacts there.

One possible threat comes from the Google Lunar X Prize, an international competition with $30 million in prize money for privately funded teams that can place an exploratory robot on the moon’s surface and transmit high-definition images back to Earth.

In 2011, NASA set out guidelines to protect the moon’s historic sites, such as establishing buffer zones around sensitive locations. The California-based X Prize Foundation said in May it would recognize the guidelines, but O’Leary noted the guidelines are not binding.

If private companies such as Virgin Galactic, which is preparing to offer suborbital space flights from a Sierra County location, or SpaceX were to offer lunar flights to the super-rich years from now, a civilian astronaut would be sorely tempted to visit the sites where previous astronauts walked.

“In no way are we trying to claim the surface of the moon,” O’Leary said, “just, hey, let’s look at how to preserve these artifacts for future generations.”

Editor’s note: We want to recognize students and teachers who make a difference. Send suggestions to Ellen Marks at emarks@abqjournal.com.br>
Don’t tread on TranquilityO’LEARY: Out to preserve Tranquility Base artifactsProfessor wants lunar landing site protected as national landmark

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