The concept of “people of the moon” is an evocative idea that has captured the human imagination for millennia, inspiring countless myths and stories. While the Moon’s vast, desolate surface is currently a lifeless natural satellite, the question of life—both natural and engineered—remains a core focus of modern space science. The lunar environment establishes that any current or future inhabitants must be either microscopic life protected from the elements or humans protected by advanced technology. The Moon is not naturally habitable, but it represents the next frontier for human settlement.
Cultural Origins of Lunar Inhabitants
The dark markings visible on the Moon’s near side, an effect called pareidolia, have historically led many cultures to imagine figures residing there. In East Asian folklore, this perception gave rise to the enduring myth of the Moon Rabbit, or Jade Rabbit (Yùtù) in China, often depicted using a mortar and pestle. In Chinese tradition, the rabbit is shown pounding ingredients for the elixir of immortality alongside the Moon goddess Chang’e, a tale that has spread to Japan and Korea.
Mesoamerican cultures, including the Aztec, also share a mythology of a rabbit on the Moon. One Aztec legend tells of the god Quetzalcoatl, who was moved by a rabbit’s selfless offer to be his food and imprinted its image onto the Moon. Early speculative fiction writers also embraced the idea, with authors like Lucian of Samosata in the 2nd century imagining lunar civilizations. Later, H.G. Wells popularized the idea of insect-like Selenites living beneath the surface in his 1901 novel, The First Men in the Moon.
The Harsh Reality of the Lunar Environment
The reality of the lunar surface presents a stark contrast to ancient myths, explaining why complex life cannot naturally exist there. The Moon lacks a substantial atmosphere, resulting in a near-perfect vacuum. This absence means liquid water is unstable and would rapidly sublimate, offering no buffer against extreme temperature fluctuations.
Temperatures swing dramatically over the 29.5-day lunar cycle, ranging from approximately 100 degrees Celsius (250 degrees Fahrenheit) during the long lunar day to about -181 degrees Celsius (-294 degrees Fahrenheit) during the equally long night. Without an atmosphere or a global magnetic field, the surface is constantly bombarded by intense space radiation. This radiation includes Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) and unpredictable, high-energy Solar Particle Events (SPEs), which strike the Moon unimpeded.
The estimated annual radiation dose is between 110 and 380 millisieverts (mSv), up to 150 times higher than the average yearly exposure on Earth. A single, large solar particle event could deliver a lethal dose of radiation to an unprotected organism. These combined factors—vacuum, temperature extremes, and high-energy radiation—make the lunar surface profoundly hostile to all known forms of complex biological life.
Astrobiological Potential for Simple Life
While complex life is impossible, the search for water ice introduces a possibility for simple, protected life forms. Water ice has been detected in permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) at the lunar poles, which are deep craters where the sun never shines. These areas maintain extremely cold and stable temperatures, creating cold traps where water molecules can remain frozen for billions of years.
The presence of water is a prerequisite for life as we understand it, and the ice could potentially harbor dormant or protected microorganisms. These could be ancient native life, though unlikely, or Earth-based extremophiles that arrived via impact events or spacecraft contamination. Extremophiles are microorganisms that thrive in conditions inhospitable to most life, such as extreme temperatures or high radiation.
Even extremophiles require a source of energy, and the Moon’s conditions are exceptionally challenging. Any potential life would likely be in a state of suspended animation, encased deep within the ice or buried in the sub-surface to shield it from radiation. Astrobiological studies focus on finding protected pockets where water can exist, which represents the only plausible scenario for non-engineered life.
Establishing a Sustainable Human Presence
Since the Moon is naturally lifeless, the modern effort to create “people of the moon” centers on human engineering and technology. Programs like NASA’s Artemis initiative are focused on establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface, beginning with an Artemis Base Camp near the South Pole. This endeavor involves overcoming the environmental challenges through advanced habitat design and resource utilization.
A major focus is In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), which involves using local lunar materials to sustain human activities and reduce reliance on expensive supplies from Earth. This includes extracting water ice from the polar regions for use as drinking water, breathable oxygen, and rocket propellant. Constructing habitats that offer sufficient protection from the high radiation levels is another primary concern, which can be accomplished by burying structures or using lunar regolith (soil) as a shielding material.
Studies indicate that at least two meters of lunar regolith is needed to provide adequate protection against Galactic Cosmic Rays, demonstrating that future lunar inhabitants will live in heavily shielded or subterranean environments. These efforts to utilize lunar resources and provide robust shielding are the scientific and technological steps necessary to transition the idea of lunar inhabitants from myth to a permanent human reality.