US to Return to Moon

[JimBowie1958]

US ready to return to moon - Telegraph

America is preparing to land a robot on the moon for the first time in four decades.

Nasa is looking for private partners to participate in the project that will see a new generation of rovers wandering across the moon’s surface.

The American space agency has set up a programme called Catalyst to exploit commercial opportunities offered by the moon.

It believes that eventually there will be a market for commercial cargo trips to the lunar surface.

Cool beans.

 

[Montrovant]

I hope so, I'm a big fan of space exploration and use of the resources available out there.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

Moon has lots of helium-3 for fusion reactors among toher things. Very little on Earth. And since fusion reactors are coming, we'll need a supply eventually. And we're probably not keen letting China become the Saudi Arabia of helium-3.

But what's planned, and what gets funded to become reality are usually very different things. Let's hope though. Anything involving going back to the Moon has my complete support. Necessary stepping stone for everything else.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

BBC News - China Moon rover Jade Rabbit in trouble

China's Jade Rabbit Moon rover is in trouble after experiencing a "mechanical control abnormality", state media report.

The Moon exploration vehicle ran into problems due to the moon's "complicated lunar surface environment", Xinhua news agency said, citing science officials.

The rover landed in December as part of China's Chang'e-3 mission - the first "soft" landing on the Moon since 1976.

It was expected to operate for around three months.

Earlier this month, the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre said that Jade Rabbit, also known as Yutu, had successfully explored the surface of the Moon with its mechanical arm.

 

[Mr. H.]

earth first.

That explains a lot...

 

[FA_Q2]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

Earth will never be ‘fixed.’ That is a continuous project.

NASA used to push the limits and many of the technologies they used were integrated into making our lives better. Going back into space is something that we should be actively doing – pushing our species into ever greater heights.

 

[Old Rocks]

It is only from space that we have truly seen the earth. And it is the space program that pushed many technologies. Time to go back to that frontier, and learn things there that will help us here.

The price of exploration is always high, in treasure and lives. The rewards have been magnitudes of order larger.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

Agreed. Manned space exploration is economically inefficient. Can do more robotically. And for less money. And before even proposing we colonize the Moon or Mars, let's make sure we've beautified this planet first.

 

[ScienceRocks]

We should have had a base on the moon the past 40 years. It is a sick joke that humanity hasn't done shit since.

Where did our sprit to explore and find new resources? America isn't acting like a healthy first world nation.

 

[ScienceRocks]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

Earth will never be ‘fixed.’ That is a continuous project.

NASA used to push the limits and many of the technologies they used were integrated into making our lives better. Going back into space is something that we should be actively doing – pushing our species into ever greater heights.

The best way to fix earth is to expand our economy. You do that by going after the resources over a larger area...This is how exploration of the past made nations rich and powerful...And this is how humanity can bring our people upwards.

New tech
New resources
Our children look up to something.

The day we stop pushing outwards = the day we're no better then the dinosaurs.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

We should have had a base on the moon the past 40 years. It is a sick joke that humanity hasn't done shit since.

Where did our sprit to explore and find new resources? America isn't acting like a healthy first world nation.

Couldn't have made a Moon base 40 years ago. Questionable if we could today. To do so, you'd need to constantly be shipping up resources like food, water, air, spare parts, etc. Wouldn't have been economically feasible 40 years ago given how much launches cost then, and with no launch vehicle today paying more to have someone else do it isn't practical either.

And until we actually have tech needing helium-3 the cost isn't easily justified. "It'd be so boss and bodacious" isn't a good enough reason.

 

[Delta4Embassy]

"U.S. Space Exploration Policy eventually calls for extended astronaut stays on the lunar surface. Identifying the sources of lunar meteors and measuring their impact rates gives future lunar explorers an idea of what to expect. Is it safe to go on a moonwalk, or not? The middle of March might be a good time to stay inside."
Bright Explosion on the Moon - NASA Science

Neat article about Moon impacting meteors and detection programs.

 

[FA_Q2]

We should have had a base on the moon the past 40 years. It is a sick joke that humanity hasn't done shit since.

Where did our sprit to explore and find new resources? America isn't acting like a healthy first world nation.

Couldn't have made a Moon base 40 years ago. Questionable if we could today. To do so, you'd need to constantly be shipping up resources like food, water, air, spare parts, etc. Wouldn't have been economically feasible 40 years ago given how much launches cost then, and with no launch vehicle today paying more to have someone else do it isn't practical either.

That assumes that you don’t make the colony as self suffecent as possible. There will always be need for a little but you can make a pretty damn self suffecent space if required.

And until we actually have tech needing helium-3 the cost isn't easily justified. "It'd be so boss and bodacious" isn't a good enough reason.

Yes, actually it is.

Besides that, this is not usually how tech works. First you go there then you find all these neat things that you can do with it. Many techs are not planned out but rather children of pushing the limit. What you are advocating is waiting until the tech is already developed before pushing that limit.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Most tech have been developed by doing and investing in it.

 

[NoNukes]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

Americans are obviously the only ones stupid enough to want to go to the moon. It is that stupid American spirit. Only 3 people have jogged across the Sahara desert. Guess their nationality.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Plant a farm
Move outwards into solar system and go after the resources

This is how we fix earth for everyone.

 

[JimBowie1958]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

Dude the spin-off technology is the biggest benefit of space exploration. We are still seeing the ripples from the Apollo and space shuttle tech, but more would come from further space exploration.

I do think we need to start exploring and developing our under sea continental shelves and using underwater drones to scoop up minerals off the deeper off shelf ocean floor that are simply laying on the surface down there.

But the thought of what that might do to the environment down there has probably got you pissing your panties already, lol.

 

[JimBowie1958]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

Earth will never be ‘fixed.’ That is a continuous project.

NASA used to push the limits and many of the technologies they used were integrated into making our lives better. Going back into space is something that we should be actively doing – pushing our species into ever greater heights.

And there is no reason we have to do one first then the other. We can do BOTH at the same time.

 

[JimBowie1958]

I really support space exploration but no, we don't need to use our money there.

Let's fix earth first.

Agreed. Manned space exploration is economically inefficient. Can do more robotically. And for less money. And before even proposing we colonize the Moon or Mars, let's make sure we've beautified this planet first.

Robots will never completely replace mankind.

We don't have to be programmed to handle new events and there are always 'black swan' new events.