Item

NASA Ranking

NASA’s Reasoning

Box of matches

15

Virtually worthless – there’s no oxygen on the moon to sustain combustion

Food concentrate

4

Efficient means of supplying energy requirements

50 meters of nylon rope

6

Useful in scaling cliffs and tying injured together

Parachute silk

8

Protection from the sun’s rays

Solar powered heating unit

13

Not needed unless on the dark side

Two .45 caliber pistols

11

Possible means of self-propulsion

One case of powdered milk

12

Bulkier duplication of food concentrate

Two 100 lb. tanks of oxygen

1

Most pressing survival need; weight is not a factor since gravity is one-sixth of the Earth’s – each tank would weigh only about 17 lbs. on the moon

Stellar map of the Moon’s constellations

3

Primary means of navigation – star patterns appear essentially identical on the moon as on Earth

Self-inflating life raft

9

CO₂ bottle in military raft may be used for propulsion

Magnetic compass

14

The magnetic field on the moon is not polarized, so it’s worthless for navigation

15 liters of water

2

Needed for replacement of tremendous liquid loss on the light side

Signal flares

10

Use as distress signal when the mother ship is sighted

First aid kit

7

Needles connected to vials of vitamins, medicines, etc. will fit special aperture in NASA space unit

Solar-powered FM

walkie-talkie

5

For communication with mother ship, but FM requires line-of-sight transmission and can only be used over short ranges