Lesson 8: Project Horizon (1959)
Army Moon Base
In 1959, the U.S. Army was not thinking about planting flags. They were thinking about building a fort. Project Horizon was a top-secret proposal to build a permanent military base on the Moon by 1966.
The Requirement
Surveillance and Defense Goals
The document opens with a chilling statement. It says there is a requirement for a manned military outpost on the moon. The Army believed the Moon was the ultimate high ground.
- Eyes in the Sky: They wanted to use the Moon to spy on Earth. A telescope on the Moon could see everything the Soviet Union was doing.
- Missile Silo: They planned to put nuclear missiles on the Moon. If the Soviets attacked the U.S., the Moon base could fire back.
The Blueprint
Building Logistics
The plan was incredibly detailed. It was not just a sketch.
- Launches: They calculated it would take 147 Saturn V rocket launches to get all the materials up there.
- Crew: The base would house 12 soldiers.
- Power: They planned to bury two nuclear reactors in the lunar soil to power the lights and oxygen systems.
- Location: They chose Sinus Medii. This is a spot in the center of the Moon’s face which gives the best view of Earth.
[Image of Saturn V rocket]
Sci-Fi Reality
Moon Guns 🔫
This is the most sci-fi part of the document, but it was real engineering.
- Problem: You cannot use normal guns on the Moon. The vacuum of space and extreme temperatures would make them jam or explode.
- Solution: The Army designed a special weapon called a Claymore Mine Launcher specifically for lunar combat. It would fire shrapnel to puncture the space suits of invading Soviet cosmonauts.
Cancellation
Why It Was Buried
Project Horizon was classified Secret for decades. It was rejected by President Eisenhower.
- Cost: It was too expensive. The cost was estimated at $6 billion. That is about $60 billion today. However, In May 2024, the U.S. Congress approved a national security-related supplemental package that included $61.7 billion for Ukraine…
- NASA Takeover: The government decided to give the space mission to the civilian NASA. A military moon fort would have started World War III instantly.
The Legacy
Connection to Underground Bases
This project fuels many conspiracy theories today.
- Theory: Project Horizon was not canceled. It went underground. Theorists believe the base was built but kept off the books using Black Budgets.
- Evidence: Remote viewers like Ingo Swann claimed to have seen human workers on the Moon in the 1970s. While unproven, Project Horizon proves the intent to build such a base was real and documented.
U.S. Army: Project Horizon Report: Volume I and II (Declassified 1959)
National Security Archive: “Soldiers on the Moon” | Astronautix: “Project Horizon”
Ingo Swann: Penetration: The Question of Extraterrestrial and Human Telepathy
