The novel “A Fall of Moondust” by Arthur C. Clarke was published for the first time in 1961.

The Selene is a boat very different from those that travel to Earth. It sails on the layer of dust covering one of the seas on the Moon. For this reason, it’s more like a spacecraft than a boat of the Earth’s seas but it’s not equipped with engines for space travel.

During a cruise, an moonquake causes the collapse of an underground cave upsetting the balance of the layer of dust on it. When the Selene passes in that area, sinks and ends about 15 meters below the dust surface. The signal transmitted by boat’s beacon is no longer received and that warns the authorities but as how can they find the Selene and rescue its crew and passengers before they run out of oxygen?