In this first program of a three-part series, Dr. I. M. Levitt, Director of the Fels Planetarium of Philadelphia's Franklin Institute, describes the shape, characteristics, and historical formation of the moon. He explains that over 30,000 craters have been counted on the moon, including Tycho, and that the dark areas called "seas" by Galileo are actually deserts. Dr. Levitt predicts that because of its low gravity and lack of atmosphere the moon will be used as a launching site for exploring the solar system. For the same reasons, the moon is also an ideal place for asthmatics and heart sufferers. He discusses the Saturn rocket project under Wernher von Braun, which will launch a rocket to the moon. He anticipates that between 1962-68 a man will land on the moon, but first robots must probe the lunar surface and gather data such as temperature. A man models a Navy full pressure suit similar to what astronauts will use in their lunar exploration. Dr. Levitt also predicts that within the next 20 years a nearly self-sustaining colony will be established on the moon. Displaying a lunar housing simulation model, Dr. Levitt describes how fuel, water, atmosphere, and quarters can be made from readily available basic elements on the moon and how algae and hydroponics could form the basis of the food supply. He maintains that the moon is the key to the conquest of space because the earth's gravity is so strong it limits our exploratory distance. Lynn Poole concludes the program by recommending Levitt's recent book "Target for Tomorrow."