Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

To the Moon and Beyond

Posted by michael on from the europe-has-the-initiative-the-US-lacks dept.

isorox writes "The BBC is reporting that 'Europe is considering sending humans to the Moon, Mars and beyond within the next few decades', although the UK government 'does not support human space flight and will not fund UK citizens to go through the official European astronaut training programme'. However while plans are made for the next 30 years, Rosetta is due to launch in 2 weeks time, ready to rendevous and land on a comet in 2011. Assuming it doesn't blow up on launch."

8 of 227 comments (clear)

  1. Kudos to the Euros! by smagruder · · Score: 5, Funny

    And the Europeans would be the first to step on the Moon (according to some). Wow! That would be quite an accomplishment! :)

    --
    Steve Magruder, Metro Foodist
  2. Question by MacAndrew · · Score: 5, Interesting

    How does the ESA decide which projects to pursue, how much to spend, and who will contribute what or get which contract?

    Give the political tussles that go on in the United States over such things, I can only think Europe with rivalries running back centuries would be quite challenging. On the other hand -- they seem to be doing quite well!

    1. Re:Question by KjetilK · · Score: 5, Interesting
      ESA has a Science Programme Committee that has the main say in which projects to pursue. The members are scientists from each of the member countries.

      To some extent, everything is politics, but the scientists of the ESA-SPC have generally been well focused on scientific merits, and on consensus within the scientific community.

      Who gets what contracts is on a different level, and I have no idea how that happens.

      --
      Employee of Inrupt, Project Release Manager and Community Manager for Solid
  3. What will the Hoax theorists say? by The+Tyro · · Score: 5, Funny

    Any chance they'll do a fly-by on the original moon landing site so we can STOP hearing from these types?

    That WOULD be a giant leap for mankind.

    --
    Even if a man chops off your hand with a sword, you still have two nice, sharp bones to stick in his eyes.
    1. Re:What will the Hoax theorists say? by MacAndrew · · Score: 5, Funny

      What will the Hoax theorists say?

      They'd say the Rosetta mission was faked, too. It's infinite regression or infinite regressives or something like that. :)

      The only real solution is to send these folks to the Moon themselves, let them be our first colony, which IMHO would be killing two or three birds with one rocket.

      Actually, the "brains" of the movement wouldn't go -- their motive is profit.

  4. Nice to see by bigberk · · Score: 5, Interesting

    It's good to see more interest in space travel and exploration. Doesn't anyone else think it's a bit stupid that nations spend so much money on weapons/military, just to cause that extra human suffering that makes life so grand... while we pass up the opportunity to explore what is undoubtedly the most fascinating and wonderful thing out there: space.

    Holy crap, aren't we a dumb bunch of talking apes. There's probably some pretty neat stuff out there beyond Earth...

  5. Rosetta should be fine. by Soft · · Score: 5, Informative
    Rosetta is due to launch in 2 weeks time, ready to rendevous and land on a comet in 2011. Assuming it doesn't blow up on launch.

    It is supposed to be launched by a "classic" Ariane 5G which, rumor says, is not affected by whatever broke the last one (main stage nozzle cooling system, according to said rumor; this was supposed to increase the Vulcain's thrust by 20%).

    But then, I'm the one who predicted this new Ariane 5 would send both the Atlas 5 and the Delta 4 back into the starting-block--and submitted the story right after its failure :-(.

    As for this Aurora project, as long as the funding isn't there, I don't see how anything else than noise could come out, apart from a very cool logo--unfortunately I can't find a link: from left to right, da Vinci's "corkscrew" flying machine, a clipper sailboat, and some figurative solar sail spaceship; and the background fades also from left to right, from an old sailing map below a sky chart, to a satellite view of the Earth below the stars, the Moon and Mars.

  6. United States Territory? by trotski · · Score: 5, Funny

    Isn't the moon claimed as a United States territory?

    In that case, the euros would have to go through customs and pay import duty fees every time they travel to the moon?
    Oh, and what about smuggling out American moon rocks? Seems to me that the Euros are intending to ANNEX united states property! After all people, the moon is clearly marked by several US flags.

    If we allow other claim OUR moon than the terrorists have already won.

    --

    "Entropy is the bad-guy, and he is everywhere"