Head of the European Space Agency wants to build a Moon Village (and he loves how crazy that sounds)

In 1973, an impressively eye-shadowed David Bowie stared straight into the camera and sang the question "Is there life on Mars?" Forty-three years later, and we're still looking for — or hoping for — a definitive answer (or at least an alternate one). But if the European Space Agency gets its way, there might be life on the moon in the near future. Jan Woerner, the president of the ESA, has a big idea to build an entire village on the moon, one that would ultimately replace the International Space Station (ISS). Speaking to the press in Paris, Woerner said:

"[The idea is] not to build some small houses over there and then to have a city hall and a church and whatever [...] Maybe one country is more interested in science, another may be a private company interested in mining... and another may be interested to use the Moon as a stepping stone for further exploration."

The ISS is funded by the space agencies of Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States; both NASA and Russia's Roscosmos have agreed to pay for and operate the ISS through 2024. Europe, meanwhile, is currently scheduled to bow out in 2020. Woerner said that the Moon Village would be "post-ISS" but did not get more specific than that, nor was he sure exactly where on the moon would be the best — or most inhabitable — place to live and work. He said:

"The word 'crazy' is exactly something I would like. We have to think out of the box. That means new ideas."

Woerner (or Ol' Crazy Jan, in keeping with his wishes) believes that determining the location of the Moon Village — and yes, he refers to it as the Moon Village — would have to be done first. After that's settled (at least figuratively settled), then he would open the Village up to other countries or space agencies, which would each be able to decide how or when to participate. Woerner said that in the next few months, he would have to discuss the future of the ISS with the Canada, Japan, Russia and the U.S. and that he would present the idea then.

That is a conversation we'd love to overhear: "Well guys, before we hit the lunch buffet, I had a little idea to run past you..."