In the early 21th century, the United States space program turned its attention to Erath's closest neighbor, Luna. Astronomers searched for an appropriate site for a lunar base. They settled on a small crater near the south pole, which contained a frozen lake called Galatea. Sheltered in the shadow of the high wall of the selenic scar, the lake was protected from the sun's blazing heat, making it an invaluable resource in lunar development.
The U.S. began Earth-side construction of the base, Olympus (also called the Mount), in 2015, but it took NASA architects, astronauts and administration 15 years to lauch the first lunar construction mission.
