Luna

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Luna

Luna (or The Moon) was a large natural satellite in the Earth-Luna system. This system was located in the Sol planetary system, which was located in Sector 001 (or Sol sector). Sector 001 was a region of space in the Alpha Quadrant.

Historical

In the early 1960s, U.S. President John F. Kennedy made a speech, stating that a decision was made to transport Humans to the moon. (TOS: "The Cage")

The first manned Human landing took place in 1969 by Apollo 11, a NASA mission initiated by the Earth nation-state of the United States of America. (TOS: "Tomorrow is Yesterday", "Return to Tomorrow")

The first man to walk on the Moon was Neil Armstrong, who said "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." Shannon O'Donnell remembered watching it on television when she was eleven years old, and still had dreams about it inspiring her career with NASA in 2000. (VOY: "11:59")

In the mirror universe, the Terran Empire landed on the Moon, planting a flag there to signify their achievement. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly" opening credits)

The date of this event was unknown, though its placement in the opening credits suggested it happened before 2063. It was also unknown if the individual was the mirror counterpart of Neil Armstrong, though the use of a EV-suit still in use in the mid-22nd century would suggest it wasn't.

In the late 21st century the Lunar Colonies were founded. People who lived in these colonies, even by the 24th century, still referred to Luna as "the Moon", though outsiders are often surprised by this. (DS9: "Valiant")

In 2063, Luna's gravitational field obscured the USS Enterprise-E's warp signature so that the Vulcan starship, the T'Plana-Hath, would not detect it while in Earth orbit as they were making First Contact with Humans. (Star Trek: First Contact)

In 2155, John Frederick Paxton used the hijacked verteron array on Mars to fire on Luna, as a demonstration of the array's power. (ENT: "Demons")

The USS Defiant passed Luna on its way to Earth in 2371. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I")

Political

As a major Human settlement, Luna fell under Federation jurisdiction and protection.

"Terra Prime", a xenophobic group of Humans which manifested in 2155, originated from the Orpheus Mining Colony on the Moon.

In the late 24th century there were over 50 million people living on the Moon. (Star Trek: First Contact) In Earth slang, people who lived on the moon were called Lunar schooners. The occupants of Luna were aware of this but chose not to use the term on the moon. (DS9: "Valiant")

Geographical

Outside the pressure domes of the Lunar Colonies, the gravity was low and there was no air for humans to breathe. The sun came up once a month. This event, known as the lunar morning, was a special occasion for people living on Luna. Dorian Collins and her father would hike across the Sea of Clouds towards a scenic spot on the western rim to witness the lunar morning. She described it as meeting God. (DS9: "Valiant")

On a clear day on Earth, a person could see Tycho City, New Berlin, and Lake Armstrong. (Star Trek: First Contact)

Depictions in the Apollo program

Luna was a central theme in the mission insignias for the Apollo program in the mid-20th century. The first depiction of Luna was in the program's insignia. The insignia depicted the path of the spacecraft from a launch site in Florida to a landing site on Luna. Sun god Apollo was drawn into the features of Luna. As each mission grew closer to landing, the features of Luna became more detailed with cratering and suggested the ship either orbiting above or landing on Luna. By Apollo 15, the lunar features were the dominant image of the insignia. The last lunar mission, Apollo 17, suggested that the program was the first step in man's progression to the stars with Apollo looking beyond Luna to Saturn and to a distant galaxy. (ENT: "First Flight")

Other information

When attempting a lucid dream to contact a species of aliens, Chakotay used the image of the moon to alert him to the fact that he was dreaming. Chakotay saw the moon three times – once outside the USS Voyager from the mess hall, once on a monitor screen in Cargo Bay 2 after he'd apparently woken up to warn him he was still asleep and under the aliens' control, and once more on the main viewscreen in the bridge when he dozed off and was slipping back into the aliens' grip. (VOY: "Waking Moments")

Locations

• Armstrong City
• Copernicus City
• Copernicus Ship Yards
• Lake Armstrong
• Luna Shipyards
• Lunaport
• Lunar colonies
  • Lunar One colony
• New Berlin
• Orpheus Mining Colony
• Sea of Clouds
• Tranquility Base
• Tycho City

Template:SolSystem

Star-chart alpha-beta quadrant.jpg

The Explored Galaxy: The location of Sol.

Earth solar system, The changeling.jpg

Chart 14A: The Sol System.

The location of Earth, Luna's primary

Luna as seen in the The Cage (original)

Luna as seen in the "The Cage" (remastered)

In the prime universe, an American astronaut on the surface of Luna

In the mirror universe, a Terran Empire astronaut on the surface of Luna

A 22nd century lunar settlement from orbit.

Luna fired upon by the verteron array.

Background Information

"The Explored Galaxy"

This chart was first seen, chronologically, in 2293. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) This chart was also seen in several Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes set in the 24th century, from the year 2364 to 2370. These were: TNG: "Conspiracy", "The Measure Of A Man", "The Emissary", "The Mind's Eye", "The Game" and DS9: "In the Hands of the Prophets", "Cardassians".

Star Trek: Star Charts

According to this non-canon reference book, the Moon (or Sol IIIa) was located in the Alpha Quadrant. This satellite was classified as a Class D world. This moon orbited the planet Earth (or Sol III). The official name for the government on the Moon was the Lunar Colonies, and the Lunar Colonies were founded in 2039. The Moon was a charter member of the United Federation of Planets in 2161. The capital was Tycho City. The dominant species were humans. In 2378, there were counted 50.2 million humans living on the Moon. Major points of interest were Tranquility Base, Lake Armstrong, New Berlin, and Lunaport. The first manned landing on the Moon was by Apollo 11 in 1969.

The specifications for the Moon were:

• Diameter: 3,476 km
• Distance from Earth: 384,500 km
• Surface Temperature: -155 °C to 105 °C
• Rotation Period: 27.3 days
• Orbital Period: 27.3 days
• Gravity: 0.16 standard
• Orbital Facilities: Lunaport

The Sol system was located in Federation space, in the Alpha Quadrant. The primary, Sol, was a Class G star with a magnitude of +5. In 1972, the space probe Pioneer 10 was launched from this system. On April 20, 2151. the Enterprise launched from this system on her maiden voyage. This system was a destination on the Earth trade routes in the mid-22nd century. In the early 2270s, V'Ger visited this system. In the late 24th century, this system was a destination on the major space lanes in the late 24th century. (Pgs. 32, 36, 38, 44-45, 56, 60, 62, "United Federation of Planets I")

External link

• Moon at Wikipedia