Moon makes it to list of at-risk sites amid space tourism concerns
The World Monuments Fund has added the Moon to its list of at-risk sites as a symbol of aerospace heritage
The World Monuments Fund releases a list every year to draw attention to endangered cultural heritage sites—and this year, the Moon has also made it onto the list.

The Moon is the only celestial body to appear on the list, which includes 25 sites around the world, including buildings by the Musi River in India, a fabric house in Gaza, a monastery in Portugal, and more.
The WMF site explains, “As a new era of space exploration dawns, the physical remnants of early Moon landings are under threat, jeopardizing these enduring symbols of collective human achievement.”
They highlight that with a growing interest in space travel among the wealthy and governments from various countries engaged in a space race, human debris on the Moon could cause serious damage to the ecosystem.
The WMF warns that more than 90 important sites on the moon could be harmed, especially Tranquillity Base, the Apollo 11 landing site where the astronaut Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the moon’s surface.
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“Exploitative visitation, souveniring, and looting by future missions and private lunar exploration could eventually compromise this truly unique cultural heritage, removing artifacts and forever erasing iconic prints and tracks from the Moon's surface, ” the WMF states.
The Moon was nominated as an at-risk site of aerospace heritage by a division of the International Council on Monuments and Sites due to the number of human artifacts present there that are markers of human scientific achievement.
Apollo 11 astronauts left a golden olive branch to symbolize peace on the Moon while last year, a SpaceX rocket went to the moon carrying 125 miniature sculptures by the artist Jeff Koons as well.
Can Moon be protected?
Since 220, the United States and 51 other nations have signed the Artemis Accords, a nonbinding agreement that sets forth the expected norms for activities in outer space.
The rules require nations to vow to protect space heritage, including “robotic landing sites, artifacts, spacecraft, and other evidence of activity on celestial bodies.”
“We see putting the moon on the watch list as a wonderful opportunity to advocate for the need and value of preservation,” Jonathan Bell, vice president of programs at the WMF told The New York Times.
