Return to the Moon

Former NASA Astronaut Harrison Schmitt advocates a private, investor-based approach to returning humans to the Moon—to extract Helium 3 for energy production, to use the Moon as a platform for science and manufacturing, and to establish permanent human colonies there in a kind of stepping stone community on the way to deeper space. With governments playing a supporting role—just as they have in the development of modern commercial aeronautics and agricultural production—Schmitt believes that a fundamentally private enterprise is the only type of organization capable of sustaining such an effort and, eventually, even making it pay off.

From the reviews:

There have been many books written about the future lunar exploration and the long-term benefits to the Moon's and Earth's occupants of doing so. Only one book, however, has been written by a man who has actually been to the Moon, explored its surface, and knows firsthand the economic benefits locked in the Moon's regolith. Harrison Scmitt's Return to the Moon will serve as a blueprint for how to achieve this and contribute to making the Vision for Space Exploration a reality.

Anthony Young, The Space Review, January 3, 2006

"Astronaut geologist Harrison Schmitt outlines his vision of a Return to the Moon, and the mining of helium 3 to provide a future energy source for the earth. … The result is an erudite and persuasive thesis … . This is an important book and one that really should be read … . The book is well written, challenging and prescient." (Michael Condry, Spaceflight, Vol. 49, January, 2007)

"The author has unique qualifications for writing this exposition. Schmitt was the only scientist among 12 astronauts to visit the Moon … . There are … excellent diagrams and pictures from the author’s own Apollo 17 mission. Springer is becoming a major publisher of space books for professionals, especially through its Copernicus and Praxis affiliations, who were responsible for this stimulating volume." (Philip R. Harris, Space Policy, Vol. 23 (2), 2007)

"Former NASA Astronaut Harrison Schmitt … presents a compelling case for returning man to the moon. … This bold book is detail oriented and describes how Schmitt would reinvigorate the U.S. space program through a public-private partnership to mine helium-3 on the moon for generating inexpensive fusion power on Earth. Dr. Schmitt, a geologist, astronaut, U.S. Senator, businessman, and teacher, uses his years of experience and knowledge to carefully craft a program to put man back into deep space for the long term." (K. Eric Livo, Economic Geology, Vol. 101, 2006)

Harrison Schmitt is, as of this date, the 12th and last human to have stepped on the Moon. As an astronaut, pilot, geologist, academic, businessman, and United States Senator, he has had a distinguished career in science and technology practice and policy. Schmitt was the first scientist to go into space specifically to explore the Moon as the Lunar Module Pilot and field geologist on the last Lunar Mission, Apollo 17. He is active in private and government sponsored research into a return to the Moon, and in fusion technologies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he is Adjunct Professor of Engineering. In his role as a Senator (R-NM, 1977-1983) he was chairman of the Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space.