LUNAR BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL ARCHIVE

摘要

Since its birth, out planet has periodically suffered from catastrophes that have caused temporary extreme environmental changes and mass extinctions. The question is not if, but rather when the next mass extinction will occur, and the main unknown is whether or not humanity will survive. Humanity can deal with this threat in two ways: by attempting to avert destruction and by planning its recovery. Should catastrophe prove unavoidable, one method of recovery would be the establishment of an accessible archive of human knowledge in a safe location off Earth. It is hereby contended that this archive should be placed on the Moon, where it will be safe from damage, degradation, and interference. This paper recommends the creation of a Lunar Archive Program to manage the archive and a system of complementary terrestrial repositories, and delineates the advocacy, design, implementation, content-insertion and updating steps necessary to establish and maintain an archive that will aid in the short-term survival, mid-term societal growth, and long-term recovery of the human race.