A little red house on the moon? If Swedish artist Mikael Genberg has his way this will be a reality by 2011. He has the full support of the Swedish Space Agency and even some big sponsors that include a car rental company and members of the Swedish Government.

The idea came to Mikael in 1999, but it was not until 2003 that he finally started working on it. The whole project is expected to cost about $80 million U.S. Dollars.

The moon cottage, which is really a machine designed to land on the moon, will be constructed of very light material, one that can be inflated and collapsed. Once it lands on the moon, the shell will inflate to the shape of a detailed house. The house is made of material that will harden under the ultraviolet light from the sun.

Mikael's vision is to build a house that looks "real" and to raise more funds for the project by selling rights to it in units - much like a "timeshare" on earth. He plans to issue and sell 366 shares (one per day), and says that even though one can't stay on the moon currently, it would be a great gift for the great grandchildren some day. Talk about the perfect Christmas gift!

source: thelocal.se