Just recently, two U.S. lawmakers announced plans to build a National Park on the Moon to protect artifacts left there by the Apollo missions. Now we have a private venture aiming to put a telescope on the Moon to gaze into the stars… or gaze on us here on Earth. If everything goes according to plan, this telescope could find its way to the Moon’s surface by 2016.

The plan to send a telescope called ILO to the Moon comes from a partnership between the International Lunar Observatory Association and Moon Express Inc. The idea is to position the telescope near a crater at the Moon’s South Pole; from there the telescope will take pictures of outer space to help scientists know more about the universe.

The best thing about this venture is the plan to make all data publicly available to anyone on the Internet. However, don’t get too excited to view the stars on a regular basis, as the team behind the telescope plans to study minerals and water on the Moon’s surface, which might not be of interest to those who only want to view shiny things.

To get the telescope to the Moon, the first step is to send a device the size of a shoebox called ILO-X to the Surface by 2015. If all goes well, the partnership will then proceed to get the telescope on the Moon by 2016.

We hope this plan works out since it would benefit the public by providing knowledge on what goes on in the universe and on the Moon’s surface. In addition, we hope to see the first signs of intelligent Alien life, preferably a creature that looks similar to the Predator. It would be awesome because we’d get the chance to recite Arnold Schwarzenegger iconic line….GET TO THE CHOPPAAA!!!

[via PR Newswire]