The Early Decades (1957–1972)
In 1957, Sputnik resonates in the vast blue of space — the first craft to leave the Earth's atmosphere. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin becomes the first man in space, with an orbital flight of one hour and forty-eight minutes. The race is launched, between two great powers projecting their ambitions to the stars.
On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 lands on the Moon. Neil Armstrong raises the dust of the solitary craters before hundreds of millions of astonished television viewers. Six Apollo missions would deposit a total of 12 men on the Moon, returning 382 kg of lunar samples and demonstrating the feasibility of human presence on another celestial body.
Orbital Stations (1973–1992)
In 1973, Skylab — the first true American space station — hosts three successive crews for stays of up to 84 days. In 1986, the Soviet MIR station is launched: Yuri Romanenko will spend 367 consecutive days there, establishing that man can live sustainably in space provided a suitable medical programme.
These experiences accumulate an irreplaceable expertise in confined living, resource management, maintenance in extreme conditions, and the physiological and psychological effects of prolonged isolation — data directly usable for designing a lunar base.
Perspectives at the Time of the Project (1993)
At the time of this thesis, the Freedom project — international orbital station — is being defined. A return to the Moon is envisaged for 2004, a first crewed mission to Mars for 2015. Space exploration is entering a phase of unprecedented international cooperation. The presence of water ice in the permanently shadowed craters of the south pole was already a scientifically documented hypothesis — solid enough to be integrated into the base design as a potential resource for oxygen and fuel production.
This thesis fits precisely within this dynamic: to design now the architecture of a permanent lunar base, to be ready for the day when the political and economic decision is taken. As 18th-century architects drew ideal cities, this project draws humanity's first settlement beyond Earth.
"Like Christopher Columbus approaching a new world, this project imagines the first milestones of a permanent human presence on the Moon."
