2007:  The Moon: Resources, Future Development, and Settlement, Second Edition. David Schrunk, Burton Sharpe, Bonnie Cooper, and Madhu Thangavelu. Springer Praxis Books. 608 pages. [Amazon link]. Simply the best single book available on the subject of settling the Moon. Emphasizes the gradual development of a global infrastructure of electric power, communications, and transportation grids using on-site resources for construction and a heavy use of robotics, with a goal of global settlement of the Moon.

2006:  The Lunar Base Handbook: An Introduction to Lunar Base Design, Development, and Operations, 2nd Edition. Peter Eckart. McGraw-Hill. 860 pages. [Where to buy]. A good technical treatment of all aspects of building a lunar base. Written primarily for engineers but the clear writing is quite accessible for interested laymen. Forget about Amazon for this one — our link is the only place you can get the second edition of this excellent resource.

2006:  Return to the Moon: Exploration, Enterprise, and Energy in the Human Settlement of Space. Harrison H. Schmitt. Praxis Publishing. 336 pages. [Review]. [Amazon link]. A former U.S. Senator and the only geologist so far to walk the Moon makes the business case for mining Helium 3 from the Moon. The problem: we don't yet have the fusion reactors to use the Helium 3 for fuel.

2005:  Return to the Moon. Edited by Rick Tumlinson and Erin Medlicott. Apogee Books. 208 pages. [Amazon link]. A collection of articles with strong emphasis on policy issues rather than technical ones.

2004: Moonrush: Improving Life on Earth with the Moon's Resources. Dennis Wingo. Apogee Books. 260 pages. [Review]. [Amazon link]. Discusses Earth's energy and resource problems in the context of a cis-lunar economy and also examines various lunar architectures with the goal of developing a lunar economic infrastructure.

1996:  The Once and Future Moon. Paul D. Spudis. Smithsonian Institution Press. 308 pages. [Amazon link]. A popular science book on what is known about the Moon and its geology for the general reader. The latter third of the book describes the rationale for returning to and settling the Moon.

1995:  Moon Handbook: A 21st-Century Travel Guide. Carl Koppeschaar. Moon Publications (out of print). 142 pages. [Amazon link]. This small but delightful book is a clever blend of fact and fiction done in the exact same style as the excellent series of Moon Travel Handbooks. It includes interesting background facts about the Moon and then describes the best places for accomodations, food, sightseeing, and how to get around (e.g. "From the Moon Museum, you can catch the northern-bound monorail to the ghost crater Lamont, headquarters of the Lunox oxygen and concrete production plant").

1991:  The Lunar Sourcebook: A User's Guide to the Moon. G. H. Heiken, D. T. Vaniman, and B. M. French, editors. Cambridge University Press. 756 pages. Hard copy is out of print but book is available on CD-ROM. [Amazon link] [CD-ROM version]. The only work to date to collect data gathered during the American and Soviet missions in an accessible and complete one-volume, encyclopedic reference of scientific and technical information about the Moon. Primarily for scientists but is also quite accessible for the interested layman.

Links

• Google Lunar X Prize video (8 minutes)
• AIAA Space Colonization Technical Committee Position Paper: Robust Implementation of Lunar Settlements with Commercial and International Enterprise [PDF 168K]
• International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG)
• Lunar and Planetary Institute - Gateway to the Moon
• Lunar Base Quarterly (if it times out try this different format)
• Solar Power from the Moon by David Criswell [PDF 400K]
• Lunar Solar Power System for Energy Prosperity within the 21st Century by David Criswell [PDF 285K]
• Building a Base on the Moon
• Gaia Selene: Saving the Earth by Colonizing the Moon
• The Moon Society
• Ken's Lunar Library
• The Artemis Project
• 2007 Rutgers University Symposium on Lunar Settlements (abstract book available)

NASA's Return to the Moon:

• The Vision for Space Exploration (NASA)
• NASA Why the Moon? poster [PDF 2.1 MB]
• NASA unveils Global Exploration Strategy and Lunar Architecture - December 4, 2006
• NASA's view: Why the Moon? - December 4, 2006
• Return to the Moon: Mending Fences Between Exploration and Science

Current and planned lunar missions:

• SELENE (Japan) (launched September 2007)
• Chang'e 1 (China) (launched October 2007)
• Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Orbiter (India) (planned launch April 9, 2008)
• Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA) (planned launch October 31, 2008)