Wish for the best, prepare for the worst

Did you know that in the 1950s, the US made various plans to wage war on the Moon?

Back in the 1950s, the US was deeply concerned because the USSR was taking a lead in the space arena. It was the Soviets that launched the world’s first satellite in 1957 and sent the first human into space in 1961. It would’ve been a nightmare if the USSR reached the Moon first and built a military base. So, they commissioned a plan on how to deal with it.

You may already know, but there is a long-lasting tradition in the US. They love to make a plan even if they don’t have an intention to actually execute it because they believe the planning is the most effective way to study the case. That’s why the US has made a lot of extreme scenario plans, many of them are somewhere between the ridiculous and the impossible. The US Color Coded War Plan is one of those wild plans. It describes how the US would wage war against the British Empire, China, and even Mexico.

Trust me, I would bet that there are more of these crazy plans in the US’s hidden cabinets.

Let’s get back to the battle plan over the Moon. The US’s plan was called Project Horizon. Its goal was simple, just nuke the Moon and get rid of the Soviet’s base. It had even a demonstration plan, detonating a small nuclear device on the Moon so they could predict the aftermath in case they blew it up in full scale.

Fortunately for mankind, the plan was never executed. If it was then perhaps the Moon (and Earth) we know today wouldn’t exist.

However, there was plan B that was actually carried out. The plan is called Operation Fishbowl, which sought to use nuclear weapons in space. A series of detonations was made in 1962.

Soon, the scientists and politicians realized that they underestimated the power of their weapons. The bombings crippled the electricity and communication network over a vast area on Earth. The US came to realize using nukes in space was just too risky and unpredictable. The Soviets also reached the same conclusion from similar attempts and two superpowers made treaties to prevent nuclear arms in space and on the ground, agreed to demilitarize the Moon. Ironically, those wild plans made the superpowers realize that they should find a way to maintain peace in outer space.

Since then, over 50 years have passed and the world has changed dramatically. Replacing the Soviet Union, China has emerged as a new rival. Technologies have improved dramatically and humanity is now capable of developing a wide range of space weapons.

It is expected that we will inhabit the Moon within the next 20 years. I would bet the US is working on the new Project Horizon to embrace the new space age and that plan is way more sophisticated than “Let’s nuke”.

Wish for the best, prepare for the worst. I guess we are again at the moment that we need to think big and plan ahead.