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Tuesday, 5 December 2006, 17:02 GMT

In pictures: Living on the Moon

People watch the Moon from near Athens, summer 2006

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Mankind has been imagining life on the Moon since time immemorial. As Nasa reveals plans for a lunar base, BBC News here looks at some artists' impressions of lunar colonisation.

Artist's impression of a lunar city

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A 1934 illustration for The Moon Pirates, a sci-fi novel by Neil R Jones, depicts a New York-like city on the Moon but enclosed by a giant protective dome.

Artist's impression of a lunar gold mine

Artist's impression of a lunar gold mine

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This sketch from 1895 shows a gold mine in operation on the Moon, tapping into fabulous resources.

Artist's impression of a lunar city

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More contemporary visions also feature skyscrapers but with their own protective seals against the lack of atmosphere.

Artist's impression of a lunar settlement

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This artist's impression shows a manned base with a driver tube for firing cargo back to Earth.

Artist's impression of a lunar settlement

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Common to all visions of life on the Moon are protective suits and darkness because of the extreme conditions.

Artist's impression of a lunar settlement

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More modern depictions show people living in capsule-like habitation units.

Model of a Soviet Moon base.

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The Soviet space programme envisaged a habitation sphere buried in the Moon's surface (photo: Anatoly Zak/RussianSpaceWeb.com).

Nasa impression of a lunar settlement

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Nasa's own computer-generated visions for its first settlement show simple structures and sturdy machines.

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Related to this story:
US plans for Moon base (05 Dec 06 | Science/Nature )
US plans permanent base on Moon (05 Dec 06 | Americas )
Lockheed to build Nasa 'Moonship' (31 Aug 06 | Science/Nature )
Europe's lunar vision blossoms (10 Apr 06 | Science/Nature )
Nasa spending to support shuttle (07 Feb 06 | Science/Nature )

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