Moon base. Computer artwork of an astronaut at a base on the Moon. Humans will require protective suits and sealed buildings when on the Moon. This is because the Moon has no atmosphere and a wide range of surface temperatures from -170 (night) to 127 (day) degrees Celsius. The lunar day-and-night cycle is nearly 30 Earth-days long. The Moon has a gravity that is about a sixth of that of the Earth. Storage tanks (upper left) will include the water, oxygen and fuel needed by the astronauts. A wheel of a moon rover is seen at right. On the ground are solar panels to provide energy. The Moon is about 384,000 kilometres from the Earth (seen in background).