Peterchens Mondfahrt (Kodename Artemis III)

»Review«

“Little Peter’s Moon Journey (Codename Artemis III)”—more than 100 years later. The original German fairy tale is becoming reality. But unlike in the story, where Mr. Summersbuzz the June bug flies to the moon with the human children Peter and Anneliese to retrieve his lost sixth leg, the June bug will soon be irrelevant (he’ll likely find himself virtually stranded in a crater, still missing that leg, lying on his back). And the search will focus instead on helium-3, rare earth elements, and other profitable metals and minerals in the regolith on the lunar surface. Peter and Anneliese will be replaced by astronauts, and the adventures of a children’s tale will give way to a story of exploitation. Artemis III, targeting the lunar south pole, is scheduled for 2027—so for now, it remains fiction.