Only twelve humans have had the privilege to walk on the moon. None of them has ever spoken or written about the experience in detail. Nor would one expect them to. Most were test pilots or engineers, one a bona fide scientist, but none ‘artists’. The one notable exception was Alan Bean who transformed himself from astronaut to oil painter and, to this day, continues to try to capture the lunar magic on canvas. His paintings are unique and much sought after and, in no small way, an inspiration to this novel.
If I was going to write a story which took place on the moon, I needed to start by picking a specific locale. The choice wasn’t hard. Before the cancellation of Apollo XX, NASA planners had already identified the central peaks of Copernicus Crater as a favoured landing site. So then began the task of making this locale detailed and real. I wanted to be able to “see” the mountains, the craters, the rocks, the sky, everything in as much accurate detail as was possible. After all, if I wasn’t convinced about the details, I could hardly expect my readers to be.
The first map I had to work with was a 1960’s topographical map of the Copernicus region which I was able to convert for use in the 3D Landscape Rendering program, Vista Pro. With this application, I was able to view the crater from numerous different angles, under different lighting conditions, and even make a little animation depicting a flight over the crater. The images produced were coarse, and without a lot of detail, but they did provide a starting point. In a rough fashion, I was now able to imagine landing in Copernicus Crater.
The first map I had to work with was a 1960’s topographical map of the Copernicus region which I was able to convert for use in the 3D Landscape Rendering program, Vista Pro. With this application, I was able to view the crater from numerous different angles, under different lighting conditions, and even make a little animation depicting a flight over the crater. The images produced were coarse, and without a lot of detail, but they did provide a starting point. In a rough fashion, I was now able to imagine landing in Copernicus Crater.
My best stroke of luck occurred when NASA launched their Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) in 2009. The mission had as its primary goal the mapping of the entire moon in sufficient detail to support the next generation of moon landers. Among the many lunar features LROC mapped and released to the public was the very area I was interested in, the Central Peak region of Copernicus Crater. The photos of the region are magnificent. They reveal details down to half a meter in size, so fine that, if a Rover were on the surface, I could see it. With the aid of such photos, I could easily plan traverses for my astronauts. I could begin to name features. I could anticipate hazards. I could, in a very real sense, begin to imagine being there.
Finally it’s worth mentioning a particular photograph taken back in the mid-sixties by Lunar Orbiter 1. This particular photo shows a uniquely oblique view of Copernicus’s central peaks, very foreshortened, but dramatic and high evocative. When combined with LROC’s overhead photos, it now became possible to construct a quite accurate 3D model of the area which, with the help of some plastercine and a little artistic license, I did.
The model now rests on a shelf in my study and I look at it constantly as I contemplate activities for my three astronauts.
Lunatic Writer,
signing off.
The model now rests on a shelf in my study and I look at it constantly as I contemplate activities for my three astronauts.
Lunatic Writer,
signing off.
