Heimr (A Space for Humans)

A Space for Humans: The Moon on Earth is a project about two scientific field trips to Iceland that took place in 1965 and 1967. They were organised by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey in order to prepare the astronauts for physical, emotional, and scientific purposes, so that the observations they made on the surface of the moon were more useful in their variety and substance.

In a document that functioned as a field-training schedule, NASA described Iceland to be “Probably the most moon-like of the field areas”. Terrestrial analogue sites were identified prior to arrival and the competitive ‘moon game’ was to take place in these locations.

My visits to Iceland were half a century after these events happened. In 2017, I went into the central highlands on a field trip organised by The Exploration Museum with a retired astronaut, explorer, professional geologist, and the U.S. Ambassador of Iceland amongst others. We experienced through sensory means what it was like to be on Earth with other planetary bodies in our imaginations.