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ESA Holds Workshop On Lunar Base Design
plasticpixel writes "Space.com is reporting that a workshop is underway in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, to discuss and plan extraterrestrial bases for human settlement of the Moon. Full story is online. Reminds me of the lunar base I designed when I was about 9 years old for a school project. Too bad I didn't have the backing of NASA or the ESA back then. "
Seriously though, this is a great idea. I always remember the poster my teach put up in his Cosmology classroom. It was a 50's era "Moon Base of the Future!" type poster. Occasionally he would look over at it, and sigh softly to himself. Screw Watergate, the worst thing Nixon ever did was cut back the space program.
---- El diablo esta en mis pantalones! Mire, mire!
What will come out first? The moon colonies or the Holographic storage devices. The lunar bases are predicted for a timeline of 2020, but I wouldn't be surprised if the first holographic enabled desktop computer I own (when they are finally ready) is shipped to my plot of land on lunar colony 12b sector 7g.
dmarien
- locker-room full of silvery spandex bodysuits for the ladies and bulky kevlar-lined battle-space-suits for the guys
- Lots of dangerous air-locks, with only two doors.
- Weapons. Lots of weapons.
- A great friggin huge laser beam pointed right at the Earth.
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Sorry, Hemos, but I don't think that the ESA is going to tackle this project with popsicle sticks, styrofoam cups, cardboard paper towel rolls, and that box that you later used to bury your pet hamster in.
--Chag
Hemos: Well, basically, I just copied the base we have now. Then, I added fins to lower wind resistance. And this racing stripe here I feel is pretty sharp.
Burns: Agreed. First prize!
---
Is this the MPAA? Is this the RIAA? Is this the DMCA? I thought it was the USA!
The South Pole region of the Moon has emerged recently as an ideal base location; temperatures are always moderate, a selection of areas close by can be found with continuous sunlight and also continuous line-of-sight communications with Earth, and there are craters that apparently never see sunlight and are believed to contain cometary ice (water is hard to find on the Moon), and also would be ideal for telescopes.
Lunar base designs can be found going back to Army and Air Force ideas back in the 1950's, so the idea is nothing particularly new; obviously what we'd really like is to have a plan that includes ways to get the funding to actually build the things! Science, tourism, and possibly space-based energy and materials supply seem to be the main candidates... Now if NASA wasn't spending 100 times as much on Mars as on the Moon we might get somewhere...
Energy: time to change the picture.
Think about it: The moon is our solar system's version of a wasteland -- all it needs is a sign saying "Why live here?".
Mars, on the other hand, has all the resources you could want. With electricity and some basic engineering, farming and construction skills, you could live happily on Mars pretty much independent of Earth. Well, you might have to import some nitrogen...
Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
In A.D. 2002 ....
War was beginning.
Captain: What happen ?
Sysadmin: Somebody set up us the link
Operator: We get http request
Captain: What !
Operator: Main screen turn on
Captain: It's You !!
CmdrTaco: How are you gentlemen !!
CmdrTaco: All your base are belong to us
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Captain: For great justice
"International Team Explores Lunar Base Proposals", sounds great, but the teams are composed entirely of students with no power to do anything except study ideas. So, a better headline might be "International students discuss lunar base proposals."
I wish it was as good as the headline sounds.
The story has nothing on real-world issues like funding, design, lobbying, private sector support - nada.
The biggest stumbling block to a true lunar base is political. Many (mostly conservative) lawmakers think that any money spend on space (other than defense spending) is a total waste. Many of those that are interested in space seem to think that the Moon should be completely ignored in favor of Mars, no matter what, no discussion, period. The former head of NASA was one of these. And we haven't been to the moon in about 25 years.
If I had a wish, it would be that these students study and publicize the politics behind those groups that are keeping us from funding a legit moon base.
=brian
*puts on pink wig*
:)
*puts on funky miniskirt*
I'm set
----- Whats wrong with this picture? http://www.revoh.org:1234/whatswrong
1. Quicker Internet Connection. It takes light about 20 min or so to get from the earth to Mars. imagan waiting 40 minuts to get slashdot. Give up any chance of having a first post.
2. Debugging extraterestral bass designes. I much rather build a base on the moon first then on mars. Any problems with the mars base can mean a slower death. And the getting extra suplies would be almost out of the question.
3. You can get a really good tan. A moon day is about 2 weeks or so you can get plenty of sun tan time. Plus with no atmosphere to block those tan helping UV rays it just helps even more.
4. A good start towards the next mars base. Making ships that lift off of the moon is a lot easier then Earth. and cheaper too. So if you can collect the raw materials to make the Mars ship on the moon and the IS there there is a lot less extra conserns that are needed.
5. Help humans to get over this gravity problem. By using the moon we can help bread people better suited to living in lower gravity enviroments. and may take longer space travil better.
6. A quick and easy way to improve you golf game. with a moon base and golf course you can really hit the ball.
7. Incorages more comericalm in space. A moon base when made more complete may be used for the tourism market and even some mining companies. With more comericalism and comptition it can help create a better faster cheaper space travle and make it open for the common man
8. Atronomy reasherch. No atmosphere make it great for ovservations.
9. Imagin life in those bouncy things.
10. Colonalzation is what we do. If we can conization a place in space as barron as the moon then we can defently do mars
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
the LAST thing we need is "moon base" designs. we need important people with big enough balls to shame the US government into funding it. you can design until your head falls off, it means squat if you cant build it.
How about getting together a coalition to figure out how to get the funding to build a moonbase instead of wasting time and money.
I cant remember who said it back in the 80's... but he was right... "The only way to get the human race to the stars in a big way is to have a war with another species where we have to go to space.. until then the morons that run the government will do nothing."
So, can we declare war against Alpha Centauri yet?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
This also sounds like A project that was also a class at the University of Maryland, Project Endurance. A zipped word file of the final report can be found here This project was the capstone design course for aerospace engineers at the university. Our task was to design a series of 6 missions to explore the lunar base for a period of 90 days each as a prelude to a fully manned base. Hope you enjoy.