"It's a brilliant surface in that sunlight. The horizon seems quite close to you because the curvature is so much more pronounced than here on earth. It's an interesting place to be. I recommend it" - Neil Armstrong.
Taking Armstrong's recommendation, Swedish artist Mikael Genberg wants to install a self-assembling piece of art on the moon's surface - "The Moonhouse"
It all started 15 years ago when Genberg heard that the Swedish Space Corporation was building a satellite that would be launched in the Moon's orbit. He initiated the "Moonhouse" project - a 9-square-meter red house with white gables (a typical Swedish cottage) - in 2004.
"It's a high-tech art project with the goal to inspire people on this planet. I would say it's about breaking mental boundaries," Genberg said in a press release.
According to 3Ders.org, the house will be transported to the moon in a shoebox-size package. The 3D-printed cottage will reportedly be outlined by a thin sheet of exclusive space cloth, which will erect the materials using pressurized gas.
The cottage will take just 5 to 15 minutes to assemble on the surface and will be large enough to accommodate one person. About 75 percent of the home is now completed.
The official website of the "Moonhouse" project claims that this is more than an art installation.
"The aim is to inspire people to push through mental barriers and broaden their perception of what we can make possible. The Moonhouse is a democratic art project, where everyone is welcome to participate and create a unique symbol for what people can achieve, together. The Moonhouse makes space available to each and everyone of us. Together we can make it happen," the website states.
The project is being developed by Genberg and Astrobiotic Technology, a robotics firm that delivers space tech. The project will cost about $15 million and the developers hope to acquire the amount via crowd-funding.
The website requests everyone to contribute to the project by buying "moon meters" and this is how the deal goes: Contribute a dollar and you get to buy the project 25 meters of its total 384,000 kilometers. Contribute $50 and you can get your name engraved inside the "Moonhouse."
For more information visit this page. Also check out a video below where Genberg and his team talk about the project.
While the "Moonhouse" project aims at putting a cottage on Earth's natural satellite, a separate group of scientists are planning to build a city in space that would grow on its own!
