Line #36 Main/TripToTheMoonPlot


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/03703_apollo_11_spacecraft_with_interior_50th_anniversary_moon_landing.jpg]]
2	-> ''Fly me to the moon\
3	Let me play among the stars''
4	--> -- '''Music/FrankSinatra'''
5
6	The Moon is Earth's closest neighbor, and since the beginning of time, humans have fantasized about visiting it. What is that mysterious, unexplored world like? If we go there, will we find [[{{Lunarians}} a civilization]]? Or is the whole place [[CheesyMoon made of cheese]]?
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8	The dream became a reality in the 1960s, when the [[UsefulNotes/TheSpaceRace Apollo space program]] successfully sent people to the moon. The first two people setting foot there were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the crew of Apollo 11, in 1969. It was "one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind". There have been five further successful Moon landings in the following three years, with twelve people having walked on the Moon in total.
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10	Although the Apollo program ended in 1972, and no humans have been to the Moon since then, this doesn't stop authors from writing stories about people travelling to the Moon, with varying scientific accuracy. The journey's goal can vary from scientific exploration to treasure hunting or an evil ploy to TakeOverTheWorld (granted they don't [[PlanetSpaceship make their own moon]]).
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12	Subtrope to InterplanetaryVoyage. If part of a normally Earthbound series, constitutes a SpaceEpisode.
13
14	----
15	!!Examples:
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17	[[foldercontrol]]
18	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
19	* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasChronicleOfTheMoonExploration'' have Nobita and Doraemon traveling to the moon and creating their own sentient, MoonRabbit race on it's surface, before discovering a civilization of {{Human Alien}}s living underneath the moon's surface. And a ruthless, genocidal alien conqueror wants to wipe them out of existence.
20	* ''Manga/TouhouBougetsushou'' starts with rumors that Yukari is planning a second invasion of the Moon, and Remilia decides she's gonna beat her to the punch and claim the Moon for herself, commissioning a magical spaceship from Patchouli (who also serves as MissionControl) for Remilia, Sakuya, Marisa and Reimu to visit the True Moon, which is perfectly habitable beneath the illusion of a barren satellite the resident Lunarians put up to avoid any attempts at conquest from humanity. Following the journey and a confrontation with the Lunarians, the group returns safely to Gensokyo, never knowing the entire thing was a trap for the Lunarians by Yukari... who got caught anyway. [[spoiler:...and in the process put Yuyuko and Youmu, her ''actual'' spies, in the Moon, allowing them to steal a bottle of rare sake for Eirin, who's left flabbergasted and terrified as to how Yukari managed it, fulfilling Yukari's real objective.]]
21	[[/folder]]
22
23	[[folder:Comic Books]]
24	* ''ComicBook/{{Tintin}}'' has two volumes dedicated to going to the moon: ''Destination Moon'' and ''Explorers on the Moon''. It's in a context of space race with espionage.
25	* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': Diana and Etta travel to the moon when Amazon astronomers think something has gone wrong there. It turns out Mars had attacked and taken the {{lunarian\|s}} queen captive.
26	[[/folder]]
27
28	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
29	* ''WesternAnimation/FlyMeToTheMoon'' is an animated film about a trio of flies sneaking on Apollo 11.
30	* The Franchise/ScoobyDoo movie ''[[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMoonMonsterMadness Moon Monster Madness]]'' has the gang visit the moon and [[ScoobyDooHoax of course, they have to solve a mystery involving a sinister alien.]]
31	* ''WesternAnimation/CaptureTheFlag'' is about two kids and a retired former astronaut traveling to the moon to stop a CorruptCorporateExecutive from destroying any evidence about the moonlanding, and claiming the moon for himself.
32	* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheMoon'' has its main protagonist building a rocket to go to the moon in order to meet the lunar goddess Chang'e.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
36	* Both ''Film/{{Munchhausen}}'' and ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' depict the main character visiting a surreal high-fantasy depiction of the Moon.
37	* ''Film/ATripToTheMoon'' by Creator/GeorgesMelies is one of the earliest (if not ''the'' earliest) ScienceFiction films in history, about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a group of scientists travelling to the Moon]]. It is based loosely on two popular novels of the time: ''Literature/FromTheEarthToTheMoon'' by Creator/JulesVerne and ''Literature/TheFirstMenInTheMoon'' by Creator/HGWells. It features the iconic shot of the scientists' rocket hitting TheManInTheMoon [[EyeScream in the eye]].
38	* ''Film/WomanInTheMoon'', a German SilentMovie from 1929 with a launch sequence that was uncannily similar to what happened three decades later.
39	* ''Film/DestinationMoon'', the 1950 production by George Pal.
40	* ''Film/TwelveToTheMoon'', made nine years before it was shown that only three were needed.
41	* ''Film/TheFirstMenInTheMoon'', a 1964 adaptation of the novel by Creator/HGWells. An international expedition lands on the Moon only to find the British got there first! A television adaptation was made in 2010.
42	* ''Film/AustinPowers: The Spy Who Shagged Me'': Dr. Evil installs a laser weapon on the Moon, and Austin has to follow him to his moon lair to thwart his plan. The film, appropriately, takes place in 1969, the year of the first Moon landing.
43	* ''Film/Apollo13'' is BasedOnATrueStory, a dramatized retelling of a Moon mission that had to be aborted due to an on-board explosion.
44	* TheFifties {{B Movie}}s ''Film/CatWomenOfTheMoon'' and its remake ''Film/MissileToTheMoon'' showed one reason why you'd want to make the trip, as the Moon is [[LadyLand inhabited solely by beautiful women!]] Later spoofed in ''Film/AmazonWomenOnTheMoon''.
45	* ''Film/{{Countdown\|1967}}'', the only science fiction film Creator/RobertAltman ever directed, depicts a realistic moon landing in 1968 just a year before Apollo 11.
46	* ''Film/FirstMan'' is a {{biopic}} of UsefulNotes/NeilArmstrong, so naturally enough the climax of the film is the human race's actual first trip to the Moon.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Fan Works]]
50	* ''Fanfic/HarryIsADragonAndThatsOK'': Ever since he read a book about Muggle space travel, Ron's dream has been to travel to the moon. [[spoiler: With the help of his friends, he builds a prototype {{Magitek}} spaceship and reaches the moon by his final year.]]
51	* In Creator/AAPessimal's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' and ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' crossover ''Fanfic/TheManyWorldsInterpretation'', Ankh-Morpork's supercomputer HEX facilitates a meeting of academic minds between Unseen University and Caltech, Pasadena. HEX has not computed for Doctor Sheldon Cooper, however. Sheldon twocks the Engine and takes it on a joyride, despite Penny trying like Hell to stop him. A lunar mission ensues, where Penny gets to be First Woman on the Moon. She is not at first greatly impressed or happy about this.
52	[[/folder]]
53
54	[[folder:Literature]]
55	* ''Literature/FromTheEarthToTheMoon'' involves a social club deciding to take trip to the moon on the suggestion of an eccentric frenchman.
56	* ''Literature/TheFirstMenInTheMoon'' has two Edwardian Englishmen take a trip to the moon for a bit of a jolly gadabout.
57	* Literature/MrMen: The story ''Mr. Men: Trip to the Moon'' has the Mr. Men and Little Miss go to the moon. Mr. Nonsense so he can find some jumping cows and Mr. Greedy so he can see if it's made of cheese.
58	* ''Rocket Ship Galileo'', the first of the sci-fi juveniles by Creator/RobertAHeinlein. The teenaged protagonists with the help of their physicist uncle, modify a rocket used for international mail transport with an atomic engine and fly it to the Moon. The publishers initially rejected the script as [[ItWillNeverCatchOn being too far out]]. Mind you, they find a Nazi SpaceBase on the Moon as well, but as the novel was written in 1947 that was probably the least unlikely part of it.
59	* In the Literature/DiogenesClub story ''Moon Moon Moon'' by Creator/KimNewman, the Moon is a magical place populated by all the characters who've travelled to the Moon in fiction. An EvilSorcerer wants to use them to destroy ''Apollo 11'', but Richard Jeperson (who uses a PortalDoor to get there just ahead of the ''Apollo'' landing) persuades them to FaceDeathWithDignity and not destroy those who have been inspired by their deeds to carry them out for real.
60	* ''Literature/DoctorDolittle'': ''Doctor Dolittle in the Moon'' has the Doctor and his animal friends taking a trip to the moon because that's where the DecisionDarts landed.
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62
63	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
64	* ''Series/ForAllMankind'' has this as the premise of the first two seasons: [[PointOfDivergence due to the Russians landing a Cosmonaut on the Moon first]], NASA extends the Space Race to greater lengths against the Cosmonauts, from discovering water ice on the Moon to eventually creating permanently-manned Moonbases.
65	* ''Series/FromTheEarthToTheMoon'' is a twelve-episode miniseries retelling the most important events of the real-life Apollo program (including the actual Moon landings).
66	* ''Series/TheGoodies''. In "Invasion of the Moon Creatures", Graham Garden is placed in charge of the British space program, sending up first a couple of rabbits, then 'volunteering' his two friends Bill and Tim. HilarityEnsues.
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69	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
70	* ''Series/CaptainScarletAndTheMysterons'': The episode "Lunarville 7" has Scarlet, Blue and Green go to the moon on a mission to investigate an unauthorized construction taking place in the Humboldt Sea. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a Mysteron base]].
71	* ''Series/SesameStreet'' dedicated an entire season to Slimey's voyage to the moon and his return to Earth.
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74	[[folder:Video Games]]
75	* ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge]]'': The Soviet mission "To The Moon" has you being deployed to the Moon to destroy [[BigBad Yuri's]] lunar base. But due to the lack of atmosphere there, you are only limited to building vehicles (and two infantry units, Cosmonauts and Desolators) to assault the enemy base with.
76	* The ''VideoGame/DuckTales'' video game has a level where Scrooge travels to the Moon looking for the Green Cheese of Longevity.
77	* The final mission for ''VideoGame/LegoCityUndercover'' takes place on the moon in a base created by the BigBad. The goal of the mission involves taking him back to Lego City to serve justice.
78	* The very first ''VideoGame/DukeNukem'' game is a 2D scrolling shoot-'em-up against the FinalBoss Doctor Proton in his ElaborateUndergroundBase. However, the final showdown results in Proton fleeing on his flying throne to the moon, where he vows to continue his quest to TakeOverTheWorld. The second installment has TheHero battle through more {{mooks}} on Proton's moon base before defeating Proton forever.
79	* ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'': In the seventh chapter, Mario and the party travel to the moon via a giant cannon, as the final Crystal Star and the villains' headquarters are located there.
80	* ''VideoGame/{{Poptropica}}'':
81	** Lunar Colony Island has your character going to the moon to follow an astronaut who believes that she has found aliens. You visit a series of labs to track her down.
82	** On Astro-Knights Island, your UFO crash lands on the Pewter Moon. It's inhabited by aliens, who look similar to the people back on Earth aside from their green skin. The aliens help you build a rocket so you can visit other planets, and you can then return to the moon to regenerate health if your rocket takes any damage.
83	* In ''VideoGame/WarioLand3'', after collecting a specific PlotCoupon, Wario can travel to the Moon in the level [[LevelInTheClouds Above The Clouds]], where he can enter it through a doorway and collect the treasure inside.
84	[[/folder]]
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86	[[folder:Web Videos]]
87	* ''WebVideo/RatsSMP'': The third and last part of the "Ghosts of Ratmas" event on Day 60 takes the rats on a trip to the Moon in the "Future", where they have to [[spoiler:stop the intelligent cats' DoomsdayDevice from destroying the Earth and turning an Class 3 ApocalypseHow situation into a ''Class X'' one]].
88	* ''WebVideo/StampysLovelyWorld'': Episode 85, titled "Trip To The Moon", is about Stampy flying his rocket ship to the moon, and then back to Earth again after setting a flag down to mark his presence.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Western Animation]]
92	* The first ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' short, ''WesternAnimation/AGrandDayOut'', involves the two main characters taking a trip to the moon to find some cheese.
93	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'': The second episode, "The Series Has Landed", has Planet Express going to its first delivery to the moon. Fry is excited, because he's a FishOutOfTemporalWater; to the others, it's just a routine flight, as the moon has long since been colonized, and the only thing of interest there is an amusement park.
94	* One episode of ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' has the penguins going to a vacation on the moon. However, their rocket only takes them as far as the roof of a nearby building, where they mistake an alley cat for a "mooncat".
95	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
96	** "Sandy's Rocket". Sandy plans to take a rocket to the moon, but [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick take it for a joy ride. They miss the moon entirely and land back on Bikini Bottom, which they mistake for the moon and capture their friends, who they think are aliens. They then take the rocket back "home", but it runs out of fuel halfway and crashes on the moon.
97	** "Mooncation": Sandy and [=SpongeBob=] take a vacation on the moon. They go crater-boarding and do tricks.
98	** "Goons on the Moon" has [=SpongeBob=], Sandy, Pearl, and Squidina all going to the moon for a science experiment. Squidward ends up coming along too when he delivers Sandy's food. On the moon, they meet Santa Claus and accidentally push the moon out of orbit. [=SpongeBob=] turns into the replacement moon.
99	* In the ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon "WesternAnimation/HaredevilHare", WesternAnimation/BugsBunny is sent to the moon, where he meets Marvin the Martian (in his screen debut) and tries to stop him from blowing up the Earth.
100	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': "Moon Farm" features the kids going to the moon, with the intent to create a moon farm, just to make ice-cream out of it.
101	* An episode of WesternAnimation/LegendOfTheThreeCaballeros combines this trope with Ancient Astronauts: the Egyptian pyramids are revealed to be rockets by an ancient civilization. The Caballeros board a pyramid following the villain Felldrake, who prepares to invade Earth by an army of Moon-Bots hidden on the dark side of the Moon.
102	* In an episode of ''The Busy World of Creator/RichardScarry'', Fixit Fox builds a space rocket that [[TheKlutz Mr Frumble]] accidentally launches to the Moon, with Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm and the Beggars also inside. There's surprisingly much ArtisticLicensePhysics in the episode for a series that usually takes its educational content seriously - they sometimes claim the Moon has ''no gravity'' (rather than just lower gravity), and the Beggars set up a candle-lit dinner despite the lack of atmosphere.
103	* WesternAnimation/{{Underdog}} must journey to the moon to thwart MadScientist Simon Bar Sinister. Simon has hijacked a [=NASA=] rocket to install his weather machine on the moon, where he'd be immune to all the cataclysms his device would generate.
104	* In the ''WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991'' episode, "[[Recap/RugratsS3E13DestinationMoonAngelicasBirthday Destination Moon]]", when Chuckie throws his toy rocket ship, Tommy, Phil, and Lil believe he threw it all the way to the moon. The babies then have an ImagineSpot where Grandpa Lou's new trailer is a rocket ship that they use to travel to the moon to get Chuckie's toy rocket back. In reality, the moon is Tommy's garage.
105	[[/folder]]

Context Main / TripToTheMoonPlot