September 20, 200521 yr Looks like a whole new space race with China, who hopes to make it there by 2020. Guess we have to beat them out for claim to the southern pole of the moon, the best location on the whole rock. It's about time we decide to go back. Tuesday September 20, 12:46 AM? ? US to send four astronauts to moon in 2018 The United States will send four astronauts to the moon in 2018 in a return to its pioneering manned mission into space, NASA administrator Michael Griffin announced. NASA is to design a new rocket based on the technology from its ageing shuttles that are to be retired in 2010, Griffin said Monday. The new rocket could be orbiting in space by 2014. The last manned mission to the moon was the Apollo 17 rocket in 1972. But the new mission will enable preparations to set up a permanent base on the moon, Griffin said Monday. The NASA chief estimated the cost of the moon programme at 104 billion dollars. He said the new rocket would be "very Apollo-like, with updated technology. Think of it as Apollo on steroids."
September 20, 200521 yr Why the hell are we gonna use a one-time use rocket? I'm all for going back to the moon and starting a permanent base, but going back to rockets seems stupid. We need to just build that X-15 or whatever the hell that one space shuttle was that took off like a conventional airplane.
September 20, 200521 yr Why the hell are we gonna use a one-time use rocket? I'm all for going back to the moon and starting a permanent base, but going back to rockets seems stupid. We need to just build that X-15 or whatever the hell that one space shuttle was that took off like a conventional airplane. 954096[/snapback] NASA would agree with you but they don't have the $$$.
September 20, 200521 yr Author What is the point? 954095[/snapback] Yeah, why don't we just never explore space at all? Screw Mars, we're staying home. :blink:
September 20, 200521 yr What is the point? 954095[/snapback] The moon has a good bit of natural resources. We could mine them and bring it back to Earth. Wait until we harness an asteroid with trillions of dollars worth of gold, diamonds, iron, etc.
September 20, 200521 yr What is the point? 954095[/snapback] Yeah, why don't we just never explore space at all? Screw Mars, we're staying home. :blink: 954197[/snapback] What has NASA ever earned the US besides national pride? Net loss of money? Loss of human lives? Damn, I sure as hell am glad we have all that moon rock now...
September 20, 200521 yr What is the point? 954095[/snapback] Yeah, why don't we just never explore space at all? Screw Mars, we're staying home. :blink: 954197[/snapback] What has NASA ever earned the US besides national pride? Net loss of money? Loss of human lives? Damn, I sure as hell am glad we have all that moon rock now... 954332[/snapback] Many things used in the space program have been spun-off into products we use today. http://www.thespaceplace.com/nasa/spinoffs.html A zero gravity enviroment allows scientists to do dozens of experiments with metals, bacteria, etc. that can't be done on Earth. This leads to better metals, medicines, etc. There is still so much left to learn about the universe via space travel. This is only the beginning. The human race will not stay on Earth forever. At some point we will have to leave. It's not just about rocks and stars. There are thousands of things the space program accomplishes.
September 20, 200521 yr Ok I should have clarified... What has planet exploration ever done besides national pride?
September 20, 200521 yr Ok I should have clarified... What has planet exploration ever done besides national pride? 954356[/snapback] Haven't you ever seen Event Horizon or Solaris? Duhhh Those things 'are' real, you know.
September 20, 200521 yr Ok I should have clarified... What has planet exploration ever done besides national pride? 954356[/snapback] We've never explored other planets. A few probes we sent took pictures and helped us better understand our universe.
September 20, 200521 yr Ok I should have clarified... What has planet exploration ever done besides national pride? 954356[/snapback] We've never explored other planets. A few probes we sent took pictures and helped us better understand our universe. 954366[/snapback] Dear god. Clarification #3: What has moon exploration ever done besides national pride?
September 20, 200521 yr Ok I should have clarified... What has planet exploration ever done besides national pride? 954356[/snapback] We've never explored other planets. A few probes we sent took pictures and helped us better understand our universe. 954366[/snapback] Dear god. Clarification #3: What has moon exploration ever done besides national pride? 954373[/snapback] Nothing, but we didn't have the technology then that we have now. Heck, my TI-83 has more computing power than the entire space program had in the 60s.
September 20, 200521 yr Apolloon steroids is a will be a 50 year old model. If car companies can make significant changes each year, isnt it time to leave the 'rocket' idea? We need to be more advanced than this. I also think that it would be more of a benifit to explaore another planet such as mars. With the ice caps, and what looks like empty oceans there, human exploration may uncover amazing findings... For all we know, they had nuclear warefar a billon years ago and started over on earth... :bluein im just saying that we have been to the moon 10 times now. what will be 49 years later, why still be aiming at the same place, with the same rocket?! We can go from 1st real airplanes to walking on the the moon in 50 years, in the next 50 its time to take another step.
September 20, 200521 yr Ok I should have clarified... What has planet exploration ever done besides national pride? 954356[/snapback] We've never explored other planets. A few probes we sent took pictures and helped us better understand our universe. 954366[/snapback] Dear god. Clarification #3: What has moon exploration ever done besides national pride? 954373[/snapback] Well the exploration in the 60's was mosty about national pride. But there were some newers things that scientists learned about the moon. The mission is not about national pride anymore it's about advancing human knowledge for the betterment of the human race. It would be easier to launch a mission to Mars from the moon. The moon can be mined for resources that will be used on the mission. This will also allow scientists to experiment with different types of space colonization.
September 20, 200521 yr Apolloon steroids is a will be a 50 year old model. If car companies can make significant changes each year, isnt it time to leave the 'rocket' idea? 954378[/snapback] Again NASA would love to develop newer systems. But they don't have the money. The space program (sadly) isn't a national priority anymore.
September 20, 200521 yr If space exploration wants to get something done it should be privatized and not linked with the Government...
September 20, 200521 yr Ok I should have clarified... What has planet exploration ever done besides national pride? 954356[/snapback] We've never explored other planets. A few probes we sent took pictures and helped us better understand our universe. 954366[/snapback] Dear god. Clarification #3: What has moon exploration ever done besides national pride? 954373[/snapback] It's not the moon itself (which, by the way gives us geologic information in a vacuum, and the the moon is related to earth geologically speaking) but usually the technology that comes from the space program and building the rocket. We learn and are able to refine a hell of a lot of stuff with those dollars and those engineers/scientists. Things that go on the rocket can affect our everyday lives.
September 23, 200521 yr While it appears that this discussion has died, I would like to provide this statistic for those against human spaceflight: The Office of Management & Budget estimates the annual NASA budget to be less than one percent of the total. The Department of Health receives almost 25 percent. So tell me, is sending man into space right now really hurting our chances at curing cancer? Is 0.7 percent really that much? It's not that much, but considering we're spending an arm and a leg with hurricane relief/rebuilding, you've got to ask yourself where is the money expendable to start making cuts and prevent us from further going into debt?
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