Los Angeles, CA, May 15, 2000 – In a report in the May 1st edition of Geophysical Research Letters, researchers identify three locations at the Lunar south pole that receive nearly constant sunlight, making them prime locations for a Moon base.

Site A, located on the rim of Shackleton crater, receives sunlight 80% of the lunar day (708 hours), while site B and C, located on a ridge and a crater rim nearby, receive sunlight 70% and 65 % of the lunar day respectively. If site A and B were fitted with solar arrays and then linked, solar energy could be obtained 93% of the lunar day.

D. Ben J. Bussey, of the European Space Agency in Noordwijk, Netherlands, led the research team. Paul D. Spudis of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and Mark S. Robinson of Northwestern University, were also on the team. The researchers point out that these locations are excellent candidates for a manned lunar base. Another bonus is the nearby regions that remain in constant darkness. Such areas, which exist at both lunar poles, could possibly contain water ice.

In addition, the temperature at the suggested sites remains a relatively constant -64 degrees, due to the steady light that the sites receive. A steady temperature would be much easier for a base to work with, as opposed to the extreme temperature swings that is common on most of the Moon's surface.