If You Could Visit Three Places On The Moon...

[KaiYeves]

The title says it all. If you could visit three places on Earth's moon, which three would they be and why?

I personally would want to visit Mare Tranquillitatis because it was the site of the first human landing, Tycho Crater because it's so big and beautiful, and the Hadley Rille, because it looks really beautiful and A15 is my favorite Apollo mission after A11.

So, how about you?

[Moose]

"The Moon's the Moon."
"Wha!? How can you say that? How can you say 'The Moon's the Moon"???"

Really, given the opportunity to visit the Moon, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be especially fussy as to where, precisely. I would, however, like to see some of that orange soil found on 17.

[Fazor]

Does the moon have a Starbucks yet? I could probably use a good cup'o coffee after that trip.

(Ah, nothing better than few-years-too-late social joke)

[kleindoofy]

First off I would decide whom I would take with me: Bill Kaysing.

I'd take him to three of the Apollo landing sites, saving Apollo XI for last.

After forcing him to go through his long list of nonsense, I'd give him a sixth of Earth's gravity kick in his moon rocks, just for good measure. ;)

[Swift]

Interesting question, I haven't given it much thought....

Definitely the Apollo 11 site. And depending on the "time of day", someplace not facing the Earth or Sun, so as to see a really dark sky.

After that, I'm not sure, maybe Luna City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress) or King City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eight_Worlds#King_City).

[Arneb]

That is a hard question - target selection being a tough-to-master art and science for the people actually doing it.

If I follow my egoistic instincts, I'd say

1 Tycho's central peak. For the view, and the fact that I'd be the discoverer of TMA-1, and would go on to sign fat exclusive interview, book and movie deals.

2 Hadley rille, for the same reason as Kai

3 Malapart peak near the South pole, for the view.

[cjl]

Given the opportunity to visit the moon, I wouldn't be picky. If I got to chose though, I'd go to the site of Apollo 11, Tycho, and somewhere on the far side (not sure exactly where though).

[Neverfly]

I'm with Moose on this one.
Since I have no geographical reference on the Moon, only a Historical site would be of extra interest.
Yet, I think I would shy away from those.


Instead, I would want to go to a 'pristine' site and soil it instead with my own footprints. Not for the sake of soiling it, of course...

But for the sake of sitting down with my back to a rock, looking at the landscape and seeing NO evidence whatsoever that AnyOne is around. Perfectly untouched (Until I plopped my butt there). Look up at the sky and see the Earth hanging there.

Maybe.. after I have done that, I'll venture over to see the Apollo landing sites, for no other reason that I can brag at parties that I saw it.
Take some pictures of the astronauts footprints.

But it's that isolation and purity that appeals to me and without a geographical reference- it's the winning hand.

Anyplace would do.

Come back to get me in a few hours...

Please.... come back and get me.. c'mon guys. This isn't funny!

[slang]

First off I would decide whom I would take with me: Bill Kaysing.

I appreciate the sentiment, but I'd prefer to take a living person with me :)

I'm not sure I have favorite places, Kai. I'd definitely want to see the A11 site. Or maybe A12, with the Surveyor near. I'd want to have a look from the far side. My third option I'll have to postpone a while: it would be a visit to our established moon colony. Especially the flying cave with the wings. *tips hat to Heinlein*.

Anyway, one of my designated tasks would be to walk to some moon rover tracks and do a lot of walking around them, well documented with video. With lots of proper before and after shots.

[kleindoofy]

... I'd prefer to take a living person with me ...
Oops, sorry. These whackos make me ill, so I haven't been following up on them. I wasn't aware that Satan had called Brother Kaysing home.

Ok, there is also that, err, gentleman who attacked Buzz Aldrin, trying to get him to swear on a Bible, Bart Sibrel. I'll take him along.

At the Apollo XI site, I'll ask him to swear on a Bible himself. Being unable to hear him, I will request that he kindly open his visor ... ;)

[Neverfly]

Anyway, one of my designated tasks would be to walk to some moon rover tracks and do a lot of walking around them, well documented with video. With lots of proper before and after shots.

Why?
You'll only end up filming a rock with a C on it...

[LaurelHS]

"The Moon's the Moon."
"Wha!? How can you say that? How can you say 'The Moon's the Moon"???"

Really, given the opportunity to visit the Moon, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be especially fussy as to where, precisely. I would, however, like to see some of that orange soil found on 17.

I wonder how many people got that reference. I imagine it was a lot. :)

I'm not sure which place on the Moon I'd want to visit. But someone once told me that if they ever went there, they wanted to look for Alan Bean's silver astronaut pin, so they obviously had a preference for the Ocean of Storms.

[pzkpfw]

As well as what's noted above, I'd like to see where one of the left-over bits of a Saturn was crashed onto the Moon.

[Ara Pacis]

I'd go to the north and south poles and look for ice and pick a spot that might have some unusual ore for mining. I wouldn't bother with the landing sites, we've already sent people there. Or I might go to one of the sites and put up poles and ropes to keep out the likes of you who would despoil historic sites.

[redshifter]

1) The site of the Apollo 11 landing

2) The highest peak in the Lunar Alps

3) The edge of a large, but not too large, and deep crater, such as Birt.

[KaiYeves]

I hadn't thought about the farside, although that would certainly be very cool.

[Romanus]

In no particular order:

Tycho: As a very young crater, this probably has some of the roughest topography on the Moon. *Real* lunar peaks--that would be a sight to see. :)

Pico or Piton: There's actually nothing really special about these lunar mountains aside from their isolation; my choice is based strictly on an old (I mean Golden Age old) SF story that obliquely mentions climbing them, probably based on the old assumption that lunar peaks were as rugged as our own. Pure nostalgia, here.

The Straight Wall: Though this looks more impressive from Earth than it would be from the ground, I still want to see (and climb) it myself.

Honorable mention:
--Alphonsus (a hotspot for TLP activity, which is still an open question)
--Messier A and Pickering (the latter is an obsolete name that I still prefer to use), two other favorite craters.
--Plato (my overall favorite crater).
--Anywhere on the Far Side.

[korjik]

Three places?

What next, what would you do if you won the lottery three times? :)

Seriously tho, a waiting room in 1/6 g with a pothole looking outside and I would be happy.