NGO Claims "Moon is in danger"
The World Monuments Fund NGO has issued a warning that space tourism may jeopardize the artifacts left by the initial lunar explorers. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
The World Monuments Fund has issued a warning about the threats posed to the Moon’s historic sites by commercial space travel, marking the first time the lunar surface has been included in its list of endangered historic locations.
Every two years, the WMF compiles a list highlighting 25 sites under threat from various factors, including climate change, tourism, conflict, and natural disasters. The fund has been instrumental in initiatives such as enhancing flood defenses in Venice, refurbishing the Mahadev Temple in Nepal, and safeguarding multiple temples within Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex.
In the latest report published on Wednesday, the list showcases sites across 29 countries, including the severely impacted urban area of Gaza and the Swahili Coast, which extends across four East African nations. Notably, it also identifies the Moon as the first extraterrestrial heritage site.
In its announcement, the WMF stated, “As a new era of space exploration dawns, the physical remnants of early Moon landings are under threat, jeopardizing these enduring symbols of collective human achievement.” This reference highlights the significance of the Apollo 11 mission, which saw “650 million people on Earth watched humans walk on the Moon’s surface for the first time.”
During the Apollo 11 mission, the astronauts left behind 106 artifacts at the Tranquility Base landing site, which include the lunar module, various scientific instruments, and Neil Armstrong’s famous bootprint.
The WMF emphasized, “Tranquility Base is one of over 90 historic landing and impact sites that mark humankind’s presence on the Moon’s surface and testify to some of our most extraordinary feats of courage and ingenuity.”
Despite the relative stability of these sites, which have been preserved due to the Moon's lack of wind and flowing water, the WMF cautioned that “a recent resurgent interest in human activity on the Moon, including a burgeoning commercial space industry” poses risks to their preservation.
Recently, SpaceX launched two lunar landers, and humans are expected to make a return to the Moon during NASA’s delayed Artemis III mission set for 2027. Additionally, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has three uncrewed missions planned between 2025 and 2028, and the China Manned Space Agency aims to execute crewed lunar landings by 2030.
While no plans have been announced for commercial tourist landings, companies such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin have expressed interest in offering lunar trips to paying customers.
The WMF warned, “Exploitative visitation, souveniring, and looting by future missions and private lunar exploration could eventually compromise this truly unique cultural heritage, removing artifacts and forever erasing iconic prints and tracks from the Moon’s surface.”
Currently, there is no specific international agreement in place to protect lunar heritage. However, in 2023, a coalition of archaeologists and scientists established the International Scientific Committee on Aerospace Heritage to advocate for the preservation of what they termed “humanity’s tangible and intangible aerospace heritage.” This group has urged world leaders to create a formal treaty aimed at safeguarding lunar sites from commercial exploitation.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
Every two years, the WMF compiles a list highlighting 25 sites under threat from various factors, including climate change, tourism, conflict, and natural disasters. The fund has been instrumental in initiatives such as enhancing flood defenses in Venice, refurbishing the Mahadev Temple in Nepal, and safeguarding multiple temples within Cambodia’s Angkor Wat complex.
In the latest report published on Wednesday, the list showcases sites across 29 countries, including the severely impacted urban area of Gaza and the Swahili Coast, which extends across four East African nations. Notably, it also identifies the Moon as the first extraterrestrial heritage site.
In its announcement, the WMF stated, “As a new era of space exploration dawns, the physical remnants of early Moon landings are under threat, jeopardizing these enduring symbols of collective human achievement.” This reference highlights the significance of the Apollo 11 mission, which saw “650 million people on Earth watched humans walk on the Moon’s surface for the first time.”
During the Apollo 11 mission, the astronauts left behind 106 artifacts at the Tranquility Base landing site, which include the lunar module, various scientific instruments, and Neil Armstrong’s famous bootprint.
The WMF emphasized, “Tranquility Base is one of over 90 historic landing and impact sites that mark humankind’s presence on the Moon’s surface and testify to some of our most extraordinary feats of courage and ingenuity.”
Despite the relative stability of these sites, which have been preserved due to the Moon's lack of wind and flowing water, the WMF cautioned that “a recent resurgent interest in human activity on the Moon, including a burgeoning commercial space industry” poses risks to their preservation.
Recently, SpaceX launched two lunar landers, and humans are expected to make a return to the Moon during NASA’s delayed Artemis III mission set for 2027. Additionally, the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has three uncrewed missions planned between 2025 and 2028, and the China Manned Space Agency aims to execute crewed lunar landings by 2030.
While no plans have been announced for commercial tourist landings, companies such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, and Blue Origin have expressed interest in offering lunar trips to paying customers.
The WMF warned, “Exploitative visitation, souveniring, and looting by future missions and private lunar exploration could eventually compromise this truly unique cultural heritage, removing artifacts and forever erasing iconic prints and tracks from the Moon’s surface.”
Currently, there is no specific international agreement in place to protect lunar heritage. However, in 2023, a coalition of archaeologists and scientists established the International Scientific Committee on Aerospace Heritage to advocate for the preservation of what they termed “humanity’s tangible and intangible aerospace heritage.” This group has urged world leaders to create a formal treaty aimed at safeguarding lunar sites from commercial exploitation.
Mark B Thomas contributed to this report for TROIB News
