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Writers on the Moon

THE IDEA

Writers on the Moon is a lunar time capsule project. We’ll send a rag-tag fleet of stories to the Moon aboard a digital data card. We hope this snapshot of indie fiction from around the world in 2021 will reveal the humanity of today to the readers of tomorrow.

BACKSTORY

This lunar time capsule project is organized by Susan Kaye Quinn, Speculative Fiction Author. She scooped up a payload slot on Peregrine Mission One back in summer of 2020, then decided to share space on the SDcard with her fellow indie authors, creating Writers on the Moon. The Manifest lists the authors whose books are included in the time capsule. We fully intend for the capsule itself to remain on the Moon indefinitely and for this website to remain active until future lunar explorers discover our gift preserved from 2021. 

Follow the blog or subscribe to our newsletter to join us in the full experience, from payload to launch to landing.

HOW WE'LL GET THERE

Astrobotic and DHL have partnered to deliver “MoonBoxes” aboard Astrobotic’s lunar landers (part of NASA’s CLPS, Commercial Lunar Payload Services, program). Our payload will ride on the first Astrobotic lander to reach the Moon, the Peregrine Lander, on Peregrine Mission One, and the first American Moon lander to launch in 50 years.  It will remain there permanently, a time capsule for the future.

THE WAY IT WORKS

  1. The Payload Capsule: Sue* purchased a 0.75″ wide capsule on Peregrine Mission One. 
  2. Payload Signups (CLOSED):  In January 2021, Sue opened up applications to buy a slot on the Writers on the Moon lunar time capsule for $10 for 20MB of storage space (ebooks, covers, personal bios, tributes, stowaways, whatever they liked). After a few days and an overwhelming response, she shut down the applications. Initially, 50 authors were selected, given the limited time to get the payload delivered to Astrobotic in March. But the 50 authors moved quickly enough, that Sue was able to open up slots to all 125 applicants. Sue (and her assistant Noelle Gaussens) coordinated loading the payload data on a digital SDcard. 
  3. Payload Delivered to Astrobotic: In addition to the SD card, Sue was able to include a Moonchip (hexagonal medallion with the Writers on the Moon logo and website) and a thin paper book describing the project in the tiny payload capsule. Sue delivered the payload to Astrobotic by the deliver date, March 1st, 2021.
  4. Peregrine Mission One: The Peregrine lander carrying the Writers on the Moon lunar capsule was originally expected to launch in December 2021, but after many delays, Peregrine is now scheduled for the certification launch of ULA’s Vulcan Centaur rocket on January 8th, 2024. Original plans to land at Lacus Mortis were also changed. Peregrine will land at Sinus Viscositatis (Bay of Stickiness) adjacent to the Gruitheisen Domes (on the northeast border of Oceanus Procellarum or Ocean of Storms). This will allow a cursory mapping of the domes for possible later geologic exploration.
  5. Updates on Mission Progress: Official Writers on the Moon and Stowaways, as well as fellow moon enthusiasts, can follow mission progress on the Writers on the Moon blog , as well as the Writers on the Moon newsletter. You can find our Writers on the Moon payload listed on the Wikipedia pages of both Peregrine Mission One and DHL Moonbox.
  6. Permanent Manifest Record: The Writers on the Moon lunar time capsule will remain on the lunar surface forever! Or at least until some future lunar anthropologist opens our capsule to discover a digital snapshot of our stories inside. The Writers on the Moon website will be maintained indefinitely to provide an Earth-based record of the time capsule, including a manifest listing the authors and ebooks contained within the capsule as well as the stories behind the stories of the authors and how they chose their payloads.
 

Join the Writers on the Moon newsletter to follow the adventure!

*Dr. Susan Kaye Quinn, Speculative Fiction Author and Payload Coordinator for Writers on the Moon 

(Fun Fact: Sue’s husband Kerry works on Astrobotic’s Rovers Team.) 

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Astrobotic
"Those are the same stars, and that is the same moon, that look down upon your brothers and sisters, and which they see as they look up to them, though they are ever so far away from us, and each other."
Sojourner Truth
American abolitionist and women's rights activist
"We are all like the bright moon, we still have our darker side."
Khalil Gibran
Khalil Gibran
Lebanese-American writer, poet and visual artist
“Stars veil their beauty soon / Beside the glorious moon, / When her full silver light / Doth make the whole earth bright.”
Sappho
Sappho, 6th c. BCE
Archaic Greek poet from the island of Lesbos
"The moon had been observing the earth close-up longer than anyone. It must have witnessed all of the phenomena occurring – and all of the acts carried out – on this earth. But the moon remained silent; it told no stories. All it did was embrace the heavy past with a cool, measured detachment. On the moon there was neither air nor wind. Its vacuum was perfect for preserving memories unscathed. No one could unlock the heart of the moon."
Haruki Murakami
Haruki Murakami
Japanese Writer