In its 28 September 1959 issue, Life magazine asked the National Research Corporation and the Architects Collaborative of Cambridge, Massachusetts to design what they thought the first Lunar colony would look like.  Illustrated by the great Robert McCall, the results were impressive; showing a series of inflatable habitats, greenhouses, and algae farms to support 16 men for their stay on the Moon.

The whole thing looks a bit ambitious, but bear in mind that it's all inflatable and covered with aluminised plastic panels complete with roller shades to regulate light and heat, so it's not exactly Moonbase Alpha we're talking about here.  The whole thing could be carried in the hold of the nuclear spaceship you can see in the background.  All the cables coming from it are because the craft acts as both transport and power source for the colony.  If you look closely, there's the inflatable communications antenna and the recycling plant.  You can also  see how parasols are erected to keep work crews cool during the day with small solar reflectors added to keep them from freezing to death in the shade.

That's the Moon for you; if it isn't one thing, it's another.

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