Stay off the Moon!

"Stay off the Moon!" by Raymond F. Jones is a science fiction story about the perils of lunar exploration in the early 1960s. It follows Jim Cochran, an operator of a robotic laboratory, Prospector, on the moon. Cochran's work takes a turn when he finds lunar elements don't match Earth's, proposing the moon's alien origin and past life. His discoveries grow ominous, showing a threat to humans. His warnings are ignored, and a manned mission suffers greatly. It is a story that tackles exploration, ethics in science, and the risks of ambition.