Extreme cultural tourism from Antarctica to the Moon

Dirk Spennemann's new paper on space heritage is now available.

Humanity has an affinity for adventure and discovery. History has shown that in places previously deemed out of reach, intrepid pioneers first visit, followed by an audacious few, and then finally by the segment of general tourist population that can afford it. Thus, increasingly remote heritage places have come under threat from visitation, and it is time to consider the implications for future heritage sites on the lunar surface. While ecotourism principles can be implemented on planet earth, merely visiting lunar landing sites of the Apollo program can diminish their heritage value.