How to Survive on the Moon: Lunar Lessons from a Rocket Scientist

An illustrated guide to lunar survival for kids from rocket scientist Joalda Morancy in preparation for the upcoming NASA Artemis moon missions!

Humans are heading back to the moon. But once we get there, how on the moon will we stay alive? In this practical guide, future astronauts will learn how to build underground cities in lava tubes, shield themselves from razor-sharp moon dust, and grow the food they’ll need to survive life away from our home planet.

As well as practical tips, Morancy lifts a lid on some of the coolest developments in lunar science--including the possibility of building underground cities in lava tubes and the giant catapult that could be used to get stuff back to Earth.

Like Andy Weir’s The Martian everything in this space book is based on real, groundbreaking science. And no one is better placed to write it: when they’re not writing kids’ books, Joalda Morancy is building the lunar lander the Artemis missions will use to take astronauts--including the first woman and first person of color--to the surface!

Hilarious illustrations by award-winning artist Aaron Cushley, including graphic novel elements, convey the wonder and excitement of future space travel and give this book a key point of difference from other solar system books.

Don’t leave Earth without it!

Joalda Morancy is a rocket scientist and science communicator. Their passion for space exploration started with watching a YouTube video about the International Space Station in high school and they graduated with an astrophysics degree from the University of Chicago. Joalda has worked on satellites imaging Earth from space at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and helped build life support systems for Blue Origin’s upcoming space station, Orbital Reef. Currently at Blue Origin they are working on the lunar lander that will be used in NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon. Joalda previously wrote Aliens for Neon Squid.

Aaron Cushley is an illustrator and doodler of dogs. From Belfast, Northern Ireland, he studied Illustration and Graphic design at the University Of Ulster Belfast School Of Art & Design. Aaron’s work stems from his inner child and the innocence and creativity that emerges when he takes a pencil in his hand. He won the Royal Society Young People’s Book Prize in 2022.