The names bestowed on the Moon's dark features almost seem to
give it a split personality. Most of the names on the right side
(the eastern hemisphere) have calm connotations, while those on
the left (the western hemisphere) have stormier connotations.
Although they are named for seas or oceans, all of these
features are vast plains of volcanic rock that formed about four
billion years ago. [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University] Tour
packages of the distant future might include stops at the Ocean
of Storms, the Sea of Tranquility, and the Sea of Rains.
Visitors won’t find a drop of water in any of them. But they
will find artifacts of some of the most amazing expeditions in
history: the first trips to the Moon. Most visitors will want to
visit Tranquility Base, where Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin
became the first humans to touch down on our satellite world.
The site is likely to be fenced off to preserve Armstrong’s
famous “small step” on the lunar surface. Five other Apollo
landing sites, plus a dozen unmann