Little Red House on the Moon?

We’re not aware of any little red houses existing on the moon, but if Swedish artist Mikael Genberg can pull it all together, that’s what people will find on the Moon in the near future.

Genberg first heard that the Swedish Space Corporation was planning to construct a satellite that would orbit the Moon about fifteen years ago, and he became inspired with a most unusual idea. He wanted to create the first art project on the Moon. It took four years of pitching the idea to get it approved, and now the artist has the go-ahead to build his masterpiece.

The little red house is similar to many of the houses that you would see in a Swedish neighborhood. It will be about eight feet tall, mostly red in color, but with white corners. Genberg will design the house so that it can be shipped up to the Moon all folded up into a package about the size of a shoebox. Then, once SpaceX delivers it to the surface aboard its Falcon 9 rocket, which is slated to launch in late 2015, the little house will be filmed as it builds itself. The process is expected to take somewhere between five and fifteen minutes, and then the Moon will have a brand new, beautiful piece of art on its pristine surface. Maybe these webcams could even go there and take pictures?

The placement of the little red house is somewhat strategic. The intended drop-off location is within an area known as a “moon pit,” where it is believed there may be an entrance into a vast network of underground caves where one day mankind might make their home. Because after all, art is much nicer when someone is around to enjoy it.

The biggest difficulty Genberg faces towards getting the house to the lunar surface is financing the venture. To get that funding, Moonhouse representatives have set up prizes for people who donate to the crowdfunding effort online.

A $30 donation gains the contributor access to a printable 3D drawing of the Moonhouse. People donating $50 will get their names engraved inside the real Moonhouse. For more info go to the official site.

Of course, the main idea of the venture is not the house itself, but rather bringing together all the people so that they can accomplish the goal. Every single name on the little house will be significant, representative of a spirit of cooperation among Earthlings to reach for the stars. Together, people can make the impossible happen. All we have to do is try.