moon base n.

an outpost on a moon, esp. on Earth’s Moon

  • 1932 R. Cummings Wandl, the Invader in Astounding Stories May 249/2 page image Ray Cummings bibliography

    It was for this the hovering Wandl fleet was waiting—holding off from conflict until this Moon base was ready.

  • 1944 R. Bradbury Lazarus Come Forth in Planet Stories Winter 108/2 page image Ray Bradbury bibliography

    Go up to the radio room and call Earth. We’ve got to rush the Scientist to Moon Base immediately.

  • 1947 B. Walton Assignment in Dawn in Planet Stories June–Aug. 73/1 page image Bryce Walton bibliography

    As soon as we take over the atomic laboratories, our first job will be to blow up the Martian’s Moon bases.

  • 1948 L. R. Hubbard 240,000 Miles Straight Up in Thrilling Wonder Stories Dec. 47/1 page image L. Ron Hubbard bibliography

    Typical corporal-made-good, Slavinsky had been Moscow’s favorite peasant. About as cultured as a bull, he was quite proud of his refinement. And he had been sent with troops, supplies and bombs to command Russia’s most trusted post, the Moonbase.

  • 1948 R. A. Heinlein Space Cadet 24 Robert A. Heinlein

    A cabal of high-ranking officers, acting from Moon Base, tried to seize power over the entire world. The plot would have been successful had not Lieutenant Dahlquist disabled every atom-bomb rocket at Moon Base by removing the fissionable material from each and wrecking the triggering mechanisms.

  • 1951 A. Coppel Task to Luna in Planet Stories Jan. 56/2 Alfred Coppel

    If there were no trouble from the Russki, he would return to his own ship and begin setting up the first cell of what would soon be the Anglo-American Moon Base. As soon as he signalled a safe landing, other rockets would come to add their cells, and presently there would be an atomic rocket pointed dead at the heart of every Russian population center.

  • 1953 P. K. Dick Second Variety in Space Science Fiction May 140/2 page image Philip K. Dick bibliography

    An interesting point. But you see, I know where the Moon Base is. And you don’t. You might fly around for months and not find it. It’s well hidden. Ibid. If I find the Moon Base in time, perhaps I can get them to send a ship back to pick you up. If I find the base in time. If not, then you haven’t a chance. I can imagine there are supplies on the ship. They will last me long enough.

  • 1966 T. M. Disch Invaded by Love in New Worlds SF Sept. 135 page image Thomas M. Disch bibliography

    On Friday Traquair had directed that all communications to and from the U.N. moonbase be cleared by himself personally.

  • 1986 W. Strieber & J. Kunetka Nature’s End (1987) i. 100

    So all we have is the L-5 colony and the moonbases.

  • 1991 Science Fiction Chronicle May 32/2

    A large, breathtaking novel of 4 societies cut off from the home world, 3 in orbit, one in a moonbase.

  • 1994 J. Barnes Mother of Storms (1995) i. 76 John Barnes bibliography

    They treat the Euromodule as sort of a hotel room, where their guys sleep between fixing robots, or on their way to and from their tiny moonbase while they assemble their ships here.

  • 2005 R. J. Sawyer Mindscan xi. 83 Robert J. Sawyer

    The Immortex staffer had been wise to warn us: the moonbase here was utilitarian at best—it felt like the inside of a submarine.


Research requirements

antedating 1932

Earliest cite

Ray Cummings, in Astounding

Research History
Stuart Young submitted a cite from a 1992 reprint of Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety"; Mike Christie confirmed the cite in the 1953 first publication.
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1968 reprint of John D. MacDonald's "Wine of the Dreamers".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1948 cite for "moonbase" from L. Ron Hubbard's "240,000 Miles Straight Up".
Fred Galvin submitted cites from 1951 for "Moon Base" and "Moon-Base" from Alfred Coppel's "Task to Luna".
Fred Galvin submitted a cite for "Moon Base" from a 1985 reprint of Heinlein's 1948 "Space Cadet"
Fred Galvin submitted a 1947 cite from "Assignment In the Dawn" by Bryce Walton.
Bill Mullins submitted a 1932 cite from Astounding.

Earliest cite in OED2 (under "moon"): 1961.
OED3 updated in December 2002 with new earliest date of 1953.
Updated in September 2003 with a new earliest date of 1951
Updated in March 2004 with a new earliest date of 1948.

Last modified 2021-01-11 17:21:00
In the compilation of some entries, HDSF has drawn extensively on corresponding entries in OED.