Many of science’s biggest ideas start out as fantasies, often
considered ludicrous – until they’re achieved. The moon shot
would be the most familiar example of something quickly going
from risible poppycock to fait accompli. A slightly earlier one
would be Leó Szilárd running around showing everyone he could
(mostly scoffing skeptics, with some notable exceptions like,
say, Albert Einstein) the basic design for an atomic weapon.
Similarly, physicist David Criswell, director of the Institute
for Space Systems Operations at the University of Houston, has
spent the last four decades evangelizing for a novel energy
solution: solar power from the moon. The advantages to such a
scheme, if it’s feasible, are immediately obvious: - The lack of
atmosphere, and thus weather, on the moon makes it a much more
reliable location for receiving sunlight than any place on
Earth. - The environmental damage caused by energy resource
exploitation and the burning of fossil fuels could be halted or
slowed on Earth. - As romantic