The circumnavigation of the moon. Journal of the British
Interplanetary Society, 57(7-8), The unsupported
circumnavigation of the lunar surface, either around the equator
or over both poles is the longest distance expedition that can
be implemented on the lunar surface. This mini-review describes
some of the attributes of this expedition and reviews some of
the dangers that the team will face. By travelling at just under
16 km/hr along the western terminator around the equator the 29
day, 11,000 km, expedition can avoid darkness altogether and
have 14 days of light to repair a vehicle should it break down.
The minimum mean speed possible to avoid dark will be just over
10 km/hr. Periods of complete darkness, which will be
encountered during the crossing of one of the poles during a
polar circumnavigation (on account of the moon's small
obliquity) or long-term breakdown during an equatorial
circumnavigation, will impose challenges in navigation and
vehicle manoeuvring not dissimilar to overwintering operations