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Glenn Urges Direct-to-Mars Trip

Posted by michael on from the one-way-ticket dept.

Geno Z Heinlein writes "Reuters reports that astronaut John Glenn testified March 4 before the President's Commission on Moon, Mars and Beyond, saying that Bush's plan 'pulls the rug out from under our scientists' and that 'It just seems to me the direct-to-Mars [route] is the way to go.' Referring to the Moon as an 'enormously complex' Cape Canaveral, Glenn said that NASA might spend all the money getting to the Moon and never get to Mars."

9 of 685 comments (clear)

  1. John Glenn doesn't want the rest of us to go moon by baryon351 · · Score: 5, Funny

    So. why doesn't John Glenn want the rest of us to go to the moon? what's he hiding? WHAT DO THEY KNOW IS UP THERE.

    whoops. ignore I said any of that. tinfoil hat slipped

  2. Re:I fear that's the whole point by squiggleslash · · Score: 5, Funny
    Well, the obvious military use for it is to put a huge number of rockets on it that'll, if fired, cause its orbit to be slowed. Then you'd have the ultimate deterent.

    Any tin-pot third-world dictator threatens you, you just threaten to crash the moon into their country. Not only will they not want that, but their neighbours will probably overthrow said dictator on your behalf as the moon crashing into a country is likely to have severe repurcussions for anyone nearby.

    I can clearly see Bush's reasoning on this.

    --
    You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
  3. Re:I fear that's the whole point by corbettw · · Score: 4, Funny

    From a military perspective, wouldn't a base in orbit around earth be more practical?

    That's no moon. That's a space station!

    --
    God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
  4. Re:I fear that's the whole point by R.Caley · · Score: 4, Funny
    How does the moon have military value?

    Strategic deterrant value of the ability to control the international cheese industry. The Swiss and the French would be eating out of your hands for a start.

    --
    _O_
    .|<     The named which can be named is not the true named
  5. Re:China by Mascot · · Score: 4, Funny

    That reminds me of a Futurama episode I saw recently (season 2 episode, but new to me). Paraphrasing since I have crap memory.

    Fry "The president of the world? What's he to us, thus is the United States!"

    Leela "Fry, the United States is part of the world"

    Fry "Really? Wow, the future really is different"

  6. Re:I fear that's the whole point by blue_adept · · Score: 5, Funny

    Yes, the moon crashing into the earth would cause a catastrophic drop in cheese prices everywhere. The swiss, normally neutral, would be furious.

    --

    "Is this just useless, or is it expensive as well?"
  7. Re:One question: why? by kolbeinn · · Score: 3, Funny

    What can people on the moon or Mars do that a robot can't?

    Well for one they can die a horrible death from hunger or asphyxiation, give me a few minutes and I will think of a few more things.

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    End of line
  8. Wait a second there by Tibor+the+Hun · · Score: 4, Funny

    Are you suggesting that we exploit the "dark side" of the moon to realize a "large moon-like space station, capable of destroying an entire planet"!?
    That plot can easily be thwarted by a number of small spacecraft which would be small enough to bypass your large defenses and exploit your criticalities. Duh...

    --
    If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
  9. Re:I fear that's the whole point by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Any tin-pot third-world dictator threatens you, you just threaten to crash the moon into their country.

    Mooning dictators? What have we stooped to?

    --
    Table-ized A.I.