In 1959, the U.S. Army was engaged to conduct an investigation on the feasibility of establishing a base on the Moon. There is a requirement for a manned military outpost on the moon. The lunar outpost is required to develop and protect potential U.S. interests on the moon, to develop techniques in moon-based surveillance of the earth and space, in communications relay, and in operations on the surface of the moon, to serve as a base for exploration of the moon, for further exploration into space and for military operations on the moon if required, and to support scientific investigations on the moon. Initially, the outpost would be of sufficient size to contain sufficient equipment to permit the survival and moderate constructive activity of a minimum number of personnel (about 15) on a sustained basis. It must be designed for expansion of facilities, resupply, and rotation of personnel to ensure maximum extension of sustained occupancy.
It should be designed to be self-sufficient for as long as possible without outside support. In the location and design of the base, consideration will be given to operation of a triangulation station of a moon-to-earth base line space surveillance system, facilitating communications with and observation of the earth, facilitating travel between the moon and the earth, exploration of the moon and further explorations of space, and to the defense of the base against attack if required. The primary objective is to establish the first permanent manned installation on the moon. Incidental to this mission would be the investigation of the geoscientific, commercial, and military potential of the moon. The authors say to be second to the Soviet Union in establishing an outpost on the moon would be disastrous to U.S. national prestige and in turn to US democratic philosophy. Although it is contrary to U.S. policy, the Soviet Union in establishing the first permanent base, may claim the moon or critical areas thereof for its own.
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