Apollo LASS Moonbase

Lunar Applications of a Spent S-IVB/IU Stage

Mission Profile

Apollo LASS (Lunar Applications of a Spent S-IVB/IU Stage) Moonbase was a NASA concept from the late 1960s for converting the spent Saturn V third stage into a habitable lunar surface facility by landing the empty S-IVB tank on the Moon and outfitting its interior for crew occupation. The large hydrogen tank section could provide approximately 280 cubic meters of usable volume if cleaned and pressurized, far exceeding the space available in dedicated lunar surface modules of the era. The concept proposed robotically pre-positioning and outfitting the spent stage before crew arrival for extended stays of 14 to 90 days. Like many ambitious post-Apollo concepts, LASS Moonbase was never funded as NASA's lunar program was curtailed before surface infrastructure missions could be attempted.