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Back to Moon in 2015?

Mistress.Erin writes "NASA has announced they may send astronauts back to the moon as early as 2015, and may build an international base once they get there. From TFA:"The next mission to land a man on the moon will take place in 2015 at the earliest, the new chief of the United States' space program said on Monday, adding the mission could be followed by the construction of a multinational space station there. But NASA has not yet decided what vehicles will be used to reach the moon, or what will succeed the aging space shuttle fleet, which is due to be retired in 2010.""

88 of 697 comments (clear)

  1. I got a vehicle by GPLDAN · · Score: 2, Funny

    But NASA has not yet decided what vehicles will be used to reach the moon...


    There's a giant Big Boy statue down the road you can use...

    1. Re:I got a vehicle by SnarfQuest · · Score: 3, Funny

      No! You need to take one of those cement mixers, and build it out of that. You can then travel to the moon to bring back all the junk left there, and recycle it.

      Hmmm. Sounds like a good idea for a TV program...

      --
      Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
    2. Re:I got a vehicle by Shads · · Score: 2, Insightful

      We really do need to get our collective asses spread out to several planets at the least and preferably several solar systems.

      One nice meteor and splat we're toast... or someone with to touchy a trigger finger.

      The more we're spread out the safer we'll be.

      --
      Shadus
    3. Re:I got a vehicle by pilgrim23 · · Score: 2, Funny

      by 2015, whatever vehicle they use will probably have a helpful instruction booklet included.....written in Chinese....

      --
      - Minutus cantorum, minutus balorum, minutus carborata descendum pantorum.
    4. Re:I got a vehicle by SubTexel · · Score: 4, Funny

      Why by 2015 we'll all have hover cars, and space travel will be commen place. We'll also have Robot slaves that will strike us down and enslave us later that year. Or Monkeys... Either one.

    5. Re:I got a vehicle by robotkid · · Score: 2, Insightful

      That was one of the original motivations for the ISS. (to server as a refueling station/staging point). In fact, it's pretty much the only reason we signed up to build it. Buti t's quickly become a moot point because the ISS has been scaled back so many times due to budget cuts that the 2 crewmen there have to spend their entire efforts focused on not dying. I'm afraid the ISS is all show and no substance, they had to cut out any potential for innovative science when they were cutting it's budget. And yet it continues to drain valuable $$ that NASA could really use right now.

  2. I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by Enigma_Man · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Why the moon? Well, I suppose it's basically in our backyard, and for interstellar toddlers, it's a pretty good goal to start. Today the moon, tomorrow the universe, eh?

    But still, is there anything on the moon that we can use/do that would be cool, other than just developing the technology used to get there?

    -Jesse

    --
    Nothing says "unprofessional job" like wrinkles in your duct tape.
    1. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by savagedome · · Score: 4, Funny

      But still, is there anything on the moon that we can use/do that would be cool

      The coolest thing would be that everyone can do the moonwalk. Awesome!

    2. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by VikingDBA · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Today the moon, tomorrow the universe"

      Or

      Today the Moon, 45 years from now the Moon again...

    3. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by RealityMogul · · Score: 4, Funny

      Hmmm... you got me thinking of the perfect person would could send to the moon

    4. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by AndiD · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because the moon doesn't have such a high gravity as let's say earth. This makes it easier to assemble and launch any vehicle that may be sent to Mars.

    5. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by BridgeBum · · Score: 5, Interesting

      If they are talking about working on a permanent base, why wouldn't you want to start with the moon? Any sort of extra-terrestrial base, be it a space station, moon base or planetary colony - is going to require a lot of supplies from Earth on a regular basis. The proximity to Earth is a big plus here.

      If things go well and a Luna base becomes well established, it becomes a much easier launching pad to form other bases/colonies elsewhere. The gravity well on the moon makes regular launches much less cost prohibitive.

      --
      My UID is the product of 2 primes.
    6. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Informative

      Why the moon?

      Babysteps. Since the 1960s we've lost the capability to send anything large on an interplanetary cruise. In fact, we shelved most of the technologies that would allow us to perform such cruises quickly and efficiently. As a result, we need to rebuild our space infrastrucutre. Part of that rebuilding is an inexpensive method for getting to and from the moon. CEV Spiral two will most likely use nuclear engines for moving passengers to and from the moon. As we gain real world experience with those engines, we can begin contemplating the task of sending a manned mission to Mars.

      The key thing to remember about the current CEV program is that it's built on real technology we have today. This is a big change for NASA which has always expected some sort of miracle technology for their next vehicle. The bright side of this change is that we'll have the CEV completed in a relatively short period of time, and it will cost a reasonable amount compared to the $$$ that went into the Shuttle program.

    7. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by It+doesn't+come+easy · · Score: 4, Interesting

      If the moon was developed as a jumping off point for Earth, exploration of the system would be much much cheaper than it is today (especially for the outer planets). That is because the Moon could build all of the space hardware and refine the fuel so we would not have to lift that mass out of the Earth's gravitational well. Plus, the Moon would be a much better location to train astronauts (lower gravity and easier access to no grav conditions). And, it would be a much cheaper source of some very expensive stuff on Earth, such as helium 3.

      It is a shame that we've waited this long to even consider it.

      --
      The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
    8. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful


      And as I mentioned in a reply to that different post, you need something to build with. Once the infrastructure is in place, it's far cheaper to lift raw materials from the moon than it is to lift them from the earth.

      --
      ____

      ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    9. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by everphilski · · Score: 4, Interesting

      There is a saying, get to low earth orbit and you are halfway to ANYWHERE in the galaxy. It's true. The velocity requirement (delta-v) to hit low earth orbit is about 7.6 km/sec. It's actually a little more than that when you consider you are fighting gravity the whole way up, and drag, but once you are in low earth orbit you are going 7.6 km/sec. Escape velocity from earth is about 13 km/sec. At 13 km/sec you can point your rocket any sane direction and just coast to where you want to go.

      Building a base on the moon is similar to that. It takes a little more delta-V to get to the moon. Don't have my notes in front of me, think its on the order of 11km/sec. But leaving the moon is only like 2-3 km/sec ... to escape. Slightly more delta-V than from LEO, you lose a little by landing on a moon, you now have to fight it's gravity well, but you gain something - solid ground. It's nice to be able to have a lab to work in. To be able to stand. That's one potential line of thinking for a moon base. And it's a valid one. There's also moon resources. Silicon, metals. Tons of oxygen in the regolith (moon rocks). If we can figure out how to get it out. There's actually a contest sponsored by NASA with a cash prize to do exactly that.

      My opinion? Rendezvous in LEO and shoot from there. Screw the moon. But that's just me. I like the brute force method.

      -Philski-

    10. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by AKAImBatman · · Score: 2

      Energy-wise it's a good idea but the expense of getting an ore factory and a railgun (for launcing payloads) going would be incredible...

      The cost is only incredible if you're looking at a single-shot to the moon trajectory. An orbital rendezvous with reusable engines can drive those costs down significantly. Which is the plan of the CEV program. Instead of misusing a super-booster to send a rather pathetic amount of material directly to the moon, boosters would be used to get the materials into orbit. From orbit, a space tug/transport would haul the cargo from LEO all the way up to the moon. Since the transport would be likely to use Nuclear or Ion fuels, it could then refuel at the moon using local materials.

      The concept still isn't *cheap*, but it's not astronomical. And as the demand for boosters increases, the price of those boosters will go down. With any luck, we may even see a revival of the only remaining super-boosters: The Titan IV and Energia. Well, I can hope anyway. :-)

    11. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by AndersOSU · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I was under the impression that the reason we don't currently have nuclear outfitted space technology (not counting decay powered satelites i.e voyager) was that if the Challenger/Columbia thing happens again it sprays the planet with refined nuclear material.

      Aside from that how exactly would you use a technology that doesn't rely on combustion to produce the needed thrust to enter orbit.

      Not saying that it couldn't be done but it seems like it would still be easier to burn something to get into orbit. Once you're clear of the atmosphere you either need to expel a gas (combustion rocket for speed or pressurised gas for fine orientation) or you rely on impact (solar sails). If you had a nuclear powered vehicle you would have plenty of power but I can't think of any way to direct it. Unless you could derive thrust from a neutron stream?

      If anyone knows of a way to get thrust from fission I'd love to hear it.

    12. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by Lucractius · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The CEV is both a step back and a step forward.

      Its an idealogical step back from the shuttle. Becoming more of a "do all disposable" similar to the ever reliable Appolo hardware that was quickly adapted to 3 totaly different sets of missions with little effort. Leaving us without a "Jack of all trades" craft such as the space shuttle, able to do crew and cargo on the one vehicle and function as a remote scientific research platform yet very difficult to change or retrofit for a very different task.

      It is a step forward in technology and that is something to be seen as a good thing. It will also bring space travel forward more to the point where vehicles similar to the space shuttle can be effectively used.

      The CEV will put us back into interplanetary space and its a good way to do it. But it shouldnt be seen as a replacement for the shuttle. The CEV better fufills the role placed on appolo craft. Long trips, with little need for multi purpose cargo and equipment capability INSIDE the craft. Where as the space shuttle is very good at lifing payloads into orbit with a crew on hand to make sure things go smoothly. Something the CEV will not be as good at.

      The CEV shouldnt be replcacing the shuttle To fast. But the CEV will begin to take away from the shuttles "ferry service" duties for the ISS (at least going up, cause hopefuly they keep some docked up there for emergencies like they SHOULD )

      --
      XML - A clever joke would be here if /. didn't mangle tag brackets.
    13. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by onion_breath · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I've read lots of comments here about using the moon as a launching point from space. This really makes no sense since the moon contains from little material that's usable for fuel or hardware, very low in metal ores. Sure you require less energy to reach escape velocity from the moon, but you'r going to have to get that stuff up there from Earth in the first place. So when you look at it that way you're actually increasing the energy requirements.

      The whole idea of using a jumping off point could by very nicely achieved with the construction of the space elevator. Slow moving on it's way to orbit, but at far lower energy needs and it's a true space jum-off once you are in orbit. Carbon nanotube technology is maturing so quickly that this is something I feel we should wait for. We as a human race could truly usher in the space age, in a meaningful way than just saying 'we got to the moon'.

      Why can't we spend all this funding on nanotube research? That holds so much more promise than any re-useable space vehicle system I've ever read about.

      If you distrust the science, google it. The space elevator theory is extremely possible, and most scientist think it will happen.

      --
      this is my sig, be amazed.
    14. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by AKAImBatman · · Score: 4, Informative

      I was under the impression that the reason we don't currently have nuclear outfitted space technology (not counting decay powered satelites i.e voyager) was that if the Challenger/Columbia thing happens again it sprays the planet with refined nuclear material.

      That impression is quite wrong. Nuclear technology has not been used because:

      1. It hasn't met the mission profiles. (It was even considered for the Shuttle upper stages.)
      2. People are afraid of nuclear.

      In the case of CEV Spiral Two, the engines would be used for pure orbital work, so there would be little to no concern of any materials reaching Earth.

      If anyone knows of a way to get thrust from fission I'd love to hear it.

      Man, I thought I'd gotten everyone around here trained in how Nuclear Thermal Rockets work. Here's the short of it:

      Most nuclear reactors derive their power production from the thermal aspect of the reaction. As the core heats up, the heat is pumped into a generator where a turbine is turned. During the push to reach the moon, some enterprising engineers figured that if you could heat a propellant using a nuclear reactor, you could dump as much thermal energy into a working fluid as the materials could withstand. The result is that massive amounts of thrust can be obtained by simply heating a stream of hydrogen, oxygen, or even plain old air. (See: Project Pluto; rather nasty weapon that was.) Since hydrogen and oxygen can't become radioactive, there would be little issue of spreading nuclear materials. Unfortunately, there was a Graphite Ablation problem from the heat, but the modern TRITON engine fixes that by utilizing Tungsten cladding.

      Does that answer your question?

    15. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by ElectricOkra · · Score: 3, Funny

      the Earth is more likely to be hit, but the Earth has a dense atmosphere that burns up most of what hits it and therefore offers protection... the moon has no such protection... even a small rock (or other debris) could do major damage to a person or even a base on the moon...

      But, of course, I'm sure they've thought of that and will prepare accordingly... /wonders how many at NASA are reading this and thinking 'uh oh'

      --
      Great Spirits have always encountered violent opposition from Mediocre Minds - A. Einstein
    16. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by Rei · · Score: 2, Informative

      Orion has largely been replaced by Medusa; its pusher plate absorbs more of the energy, all of its structures are in tension (lightweight), crew is further from the explosions (less shielding), and it scales down better.

      There are many fission-related engines. Offhand, I can think of solid/liquid/gasseous/plasma core, antimatter-catalyzed microfission (there's also microfusion - basically, you use a miniscule amount of antimatter in a trap to start a fission or fusion reaction), photonic rockets (you take the heat from a nuclear reactor and radiate it in one direction with a giant solar-sail-like device), fission-fragment rocket (you encourage particles to boil off the surface when they undergo fission; being ionized, you can control them magnetically), and nuclear saltwater rockets (one of my favorites. Dirty as heck, but the reactants have the energy to escape the solar system. Basically, you use a water-soluable uranium salt dissolved in water kept in neutron-absorbing capillaries. When you want thrust, you force it from the capillaries into a big thrust chamber, where it goes critical)

      --
      Did he just go crazy and fall asleep?
    17. Re:I'm all for science/technology/astronomy but... by llefler · · Score: 2, Funny

      You have to be patient. They have to build new sets for the sequel.

      --
      It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit. -- Harry Truman
  3. Great if applied to other things. by Quasar1999 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I've also decided to go on a huge roadtrip in 2015, but I too have no idea how I'll get there... Nor do I know what I'm going to do with my current vehicle (a 1975 Honda civic) once it is scheduled to be retired (2010 at the latest). But don't you worry, I'll manage to pull it off somehow... ;)

    --

    ---
    Programming is like sex... Make one mistake and support it the rest of your life.
    1. Re:Great if applied to other things. by bombadillo · · Score: 4, Insightful

      You forgot to add that you will fund the roadtrip with the spare change you manage to find.

      This will never hapen in 10 years time with the current funding and emphasize placed on the space program. NASA simply won't get the money needed to get to the moon. It's only ment as a distraction from Iraq and to give the country something to rally behind. This way the conservative media can have talking points about what a visionary president we have. Bush seems really pre-occupied with creating a legacy. Taking on Social Security, The largest nation building exercise since WWII (Iraq), Return to the moon, Star Wars... So far his legacy isn't looking very good. Unfortunately , we will be the ones paying for his poorly managed projects.

      What ever you do don't concentrate on Iraq.

  4. Then & Now by earthbound+kid · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Kennedy: "We will go to the moon in this decade..."

    NASA today: "We will go to the moon in this decade... at the earliest. Maybe. But hey, don't hold your breath."

    For real, how can it possibly take longer to do it again, if we already did it before? The R&D phase is over. We know what to do.

    1) Build Saturn V
    2) Put spaceship on top
    3) MTV Flag

    What, did we lose the Saturn blueprint or something?

    1. Re:Then & Now by torpor · · Score: 2, Informative

      What, did we lose the Saturn blueprint or something?


      No. Urban Legend. The plans are still on microfilm .. though whether they're useful is a different story..

      --
      ; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
    2. Re:Then & Now by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Informative

      Not true. The Saturn V was a superb super-booster that was capable of lifting just about anything into orbit. For example, a Saturn V was used to lift the entire Skylab Space Station in one flight. Von Braun was also a big proponent of using a Saturn V to lift a Mini Orion into orbit for interplanetary travel.

      The reason why the Saturn V *seems* useless is that the primary focus of the Apollo and Gemini programs was to develop the technology and execute a plan to reach the moon. If the Saturn V was still flying today, you can bet it wouldn't cost several billion dollars to get the ISS up there. We'd launch the stupid thing in two or three pieces, only minor assembly required. Compare that to the dozens of shuttle flights and Russian launches necessary to get the current structure up there. And it's not even done!

    3. Re:Then & Now by stlhawkeye · · Score: 4, Informative
      What, did we lose the Saturn blueprint or something?

      The Saturn V wasn't the only piece of technology we used. There's also the landing vehicle, the lunar orbitor, etc. We don't have any of those things laying around and the people, facilities, and processes involved in engineering them are dead, retired, or demolished. Kennedy's moon mission was just about getting there and bank so we could thumb our noses at the Soviet Union. Neener neener neener. If we go again, the mission is different. This time it's about conducting science and testing vehicles and technologies for taking us to Mars and beyond.

      Kennedy's moon landings were a stunt for international bragging rights. If that's the only reason we wanted to go again, it'd be much easier. Also, we know much more about the hazards of space travel now, and have to re-engineer ships to deal with it. The attitude of this nation is MUCH different now than it was in 1960. Government regulations are far stricter, and the loss of crew is less acceptable (not that people ever ACCEPTED the loss of a crew but the flak NASA catches for it now is far worse than what they got 40 years ago).

      Computer technology is different and probably incompatible with the hardware systems of those old monsters, and the launch facilities in Florida aren't big enough to launch a Sat-V anyway (they never were, either, the Sat-V had to be rolled out with its own tower).

      So you can't just rebuild everything, it's not that simple.

      --
      "I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
    4. Re:Then & Now by stlhawkeye · · Score: 2, Insightful
      The point he's trying to make is.. we have CAD today. and all the experience from then. We should be able to pop out the equivalent design in a matter of weeks compared to doing all of the design work with pencil, paper, models and all of the calculations with slide rules and mechanical calculators.

      The point I'm trying to make is that whipping up a design that passes all the relevent federal and NASA checks and balances for approval and human safety (don't you think our safety requirements are just a liiiiitle stricter now than they were in 1960?) and stays within NASA's budget isn't going to take a few weeks, it's going to take months, and probably years. We cannot just re-engineer that old hardware, it won't meet our needs or serve the ultimate purpose of a return trip to the moon. The "equivilent" design is unlikely to show up for years, especially since it has to take into account other projects like the space station and a replacement vehicle for the shuttle. This isn't a single-purpose critter we're throwing together.

      Even if we COULD just re-engineer those old machines, we'd have to go back through all the old contractors, have them dig up designs, and then re-start assembly facilities. Getting a machine facility up and running can take a long time by itself. I get your point and his but you're not getting mine: there's more to this than just repeating a stunt we've already done. It's been how many years since the Byzantine Empire faded into the annals of history and we still aren't sure how to reproduce Greek Fire? A bad example, I know, since the formula was a secret, but it's not as simple as you guys make it out to be to re-start production on designs that were engineered 40-50 years ago. It's not CHEAP either, you're basically starting from scratch, even if you're just building the same thing all over again, because none of the production facilities are in place at any of the contrators who built this stuff, and you'll have to pay them all over again to setup those facilities and get engineering teams together to modernize the parts and add safety features that will undoubtedly alter the design. It really is probably cheaper to start from scratch.

      I don't speak for everyone regarding the flak NASA gets, but If they're like me ...

      I have to say this every day on Slashdot: don't assume everybody is like you. They're not. Thank god. Regardless, I am one of the people that shares your dim view of the shuttle program. I think the science conducted on it has been very valuable, but it's basically a really expensive zero-G research platform. The scientific benefits of the space station are even more dubious.

      Regardless, that has nothing to do with my opinion for why it's not a trivial matter to just repeat what we did in the 1960's. The Apollo program was cancelled early due to its expense, statistical danger (it was believed that, if all planned Apollo missions were carried out, we'd lose at least one crew; this belief became a conviction after Apollo 13), and questionable scientific merit. The point had been made: the Stars and Stripes are on the moon; the Hammer and Sickle are not. There was no reason to keep going, given the cost, danger, and fact that the mission was accomplished.

      We're going back for an entirely different purpose, and we need different vehicles and technologies to accomplish that purpose.

      --
      "I have never won a debate with an ignorant person." -Ali ibn Abi Talib
    5. Re:Then & Now by csoto · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The Russians already sent up the "big pieces" in expendable boosters (similar to the Saturn V). The Shuttle was incapable of lifting some primary components, such as the Zvezda service module (delivered by Proton rocket), and of course, people and supplies (Progress and Soyuz).

      The Shuttle is a clever system, and it still has uses, but we put too many eggs in that basket. We should have been developing every possible alternative. Instead, we find ourselves indebted to the Russians for our continued presence in space.

      --
      There exists no way of exchanging information without making judgments. --Bene Gesserit Axiom
  5. politics on the moon by moz25 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've always wondered what kind of political issues could arise from sending people to new territories. After all, who owns the land of other planets? It seems that the moon is politically stable because it's really hard and expensive to actually settle a large portion of the land. It's good to see that these projects to some extent don't push national boundaries all the way into space.

    1. Re:politics on the moon by Rude+Turnip · · Score: 2, Interesting

      "After all, who owns the land of other planets?"

      Right now, no one. Keep in mind that no one really "owns" anything. You own something to the extent that you can excert your force and defend something. Take a look at airspace. When the Soviets shot down a U2 spyplane from umpteen thousands of feet, they owned that airspace at that point.

      When it comes to real estate, such as your house, you don't own the land...you own "rights" to the land (ie fee simple, leasehold, tenants-in-common) granted by the government, because they're the ones with the most force to excert.

  6. What will replace the space shuttle fleet? by Lester67 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    CONTRACTORS!

    Seriously. I recently returned from a tour in the middle east. Damn near everything is contracted out: food, showers, embarkation/debarkation. With an increasing number of viable "space" start-ups, it isn't hard to imagine that NASA hasn't announced a shuttle replacement because they're waiting for these guys (or gals) to come up with a cheap alternative that they can purchase time on.

    You eliminate a large chunk of the paperwork when a sig on the dotted line passes the logistics to someone else.

  7. Why? by gclef · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Though it pains me to ask this (I'd love for us to be doing more space exploration), is building a base there really a good idea? From what I've read, the lunar dust is incredibly hard on mechanical things (gears, seals, etc)...that would make maintenance of any lunar base very difficult, and prohibitively expensive.

    For all of that effort (both in the initial build, and in the launch/materials costs for maintenance)...what do we get? Not much, even in terms of science.

    I'd love for us to do more space exploration, but honestly, I think a really big station at L4 or L5 would be a much better idea. Locally stable gravitiational point, but not a deep gravity well, far less dust, very low g environment, etc.

    It's not as sexy as the moon, but really...L5's the place to be, not the moon.

    1. Re:Why? by TripMaster+Monkey · · Score: 3, Insightful


      L5 is an excellent place to build...but you need something to build with. The moon is ideal for harvesting raw materials, due to its shallow gravity well and lack of atmosphere.

      --
      ____

      ~ |rip/\/\aster /\/\onkey

    2. Re:Why? by emidln · · Score: 2, Funny
      You sound like those people who wanted to close the Patent Office in 1901 because there was 'nothing left to invent'.

      At least it would have solved a few problems now. Granted, it would have also created a lot more, but we'd never have to deal with software patents. ;)

    3. Re:Why? by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There are some serious answers, but they're all long-term. Pretty much everyone can see the benefit in having a solar-system-wide civilization, I think, but we have to do things one step at a time.

      Off the top of my head ...

      - Manufacturing and heavy industry should really be moved off Earth; low-g doesn't offer quite the same cool possibilities that zero-g (okay, microgravity) does, but it's still possible to build things cheaper (locally) the less they weigh; more generally, pollution is less of a concern because, you know, the Moon has no air, no water, and no life. You can dump stuff in an empty crater and it either sits there if it's heavy, or sublimes off into space if it's light. And, of course, there's plentiful solar power.

      - Various types of medicine and surgery, again, would benefit tremendously from low-g. Of course, for this to work, you have to find a way to move sick people off Earth that doesn't involve the crushing g-forces of current space flight ... Eventually, I can see the Moon becoming a giant retirement colony, a kind of mega-Florida for old people who want to live out their days in comfort.

      - Astronomy: the far side is just about the best possible place to build telescopes. Yes, better than L-5, because (again) the gravity is light enough to allow huge delicate structures, but it's still a planet, and building a long-term support base with local materials is a lot easier than hauling everything off into the middle of nowhere.

      - Way station for future voyages. Other posters have mentioned the relative ease of building and launching interplanetary spacecraft on the Moon as opposed to Earth. Here's another benefit: the Moon has the lowest gravity of any place people are likely to live, which means that not only could visitors from Earth go there and be comfortable, so could those from Mars, the Jovian and Saturnian moons, etc. I can easily see the Moon becoming the Solar System's busiest hub for trade, diplomacy, and tourism.

      --
      The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
    4. Re:Why? by JJ · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If by mechanically self-sufficient you mean never needing replacement parts then no, no moonbase can be made so. I think you severely overestimate the destructiveness of the dust though. With no atmosphere, the most destructive aspect of the dust will be missing, it's wind driven penetration ability. Also with a fairly constant dust particle size adequate filtration systems are not too dificult, the lunar rover had virtually none. As to tearing up the mining machinery, as long as it is designed for space usage, the moon dust really isn't a major issue. In hard rock mining here, the problems of equipment failure depend much more on heat and ventilation than dust.
      The most dust sensitive articles left on the moon (small mirrors for laser reflection) are still working just fine more than 30 years since a last de-dusting was possible.

      --
      So long and thanks for all the fish . . . !!!
    5. Re:Why? by damionfury · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I think we both agree that a permanent habitation in space (moon base or L5 station) is important. We need a refueling point if we hope to reach Mars in the near future.

      I think the fuss over the moon boils down to 3 main reasons:
      1) Basically, we're planetbound beings. The vast majority of us would be reassured by the feeling of something solid beneath our feet and the ability to look out a window and see ground, even if it's virtually vacuum out there.
      2) In general, people look at colonizing the moon much like Mars and other planets. Putting a base on the Moon sounds more like we're really getting out there and starting our expansion into the universe at large.
      3) There are a few resources available on the Moon, most notably building materials. It's likely to be more cost effective to build using Moon rock than to haul tons of structural material in addition to everything else.

    6. Re:Why? by SuperBanana · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually, he didn't dismiss you. If he had, he wouldn't have bothered responding to your post at all.

      True, but he did make the typical knee-jerk reaction of Slashdotters- which is to brand an unpopular or controversial opinion or question as being a "troll" just out for reactions. This is particularly so of what I call Space Fanboys, who think that any geek who isn't in absolute favor of space-ish things must be a heathen or troll. I DID post it to get opinions, and freely admitted so- I didn't do it just to get a rise out of people, like a troll does.

      Oh, so we've already discovered everything we're going to discover in space, then? You sound like those people who wanted to close the Patent Office in 1901 because there was 'nothing left to invent'.

      No(hello, straw-man argument), I never said we've learned all we could. He said we were going there: "To learn how to make things that will work in space, to learn how to deal with the effects of long term spaceflight, and how to determine materials for worthiness."

      I'm wondering, "After 60 years haven't we figured out how to make things work in space, hasn't Spacelab, ISS, etc taught us about long-term spaceflight physiological effects, and hasn't 60 years of lobbing stuff around the planet and across our solar system taught us all that?"

      Basically, if your reasoning to get to the moon(again) is so we can learn how to get to the moon, that's a cyclic definition/justification; It'd be like exploring the desert, and justifying it by saying "we're there to learn how to explore the desert". When you've learned how to explore the desert, then what do you do? Explore it- except you've been exploring to learn how to explore. See the problem?

    7. Re:Why? by xlr8ed · · Score: 2, Funny

      Hell, Bush can't find Osama or WDM's in Iraq...I got $5 that someone had to point out the location of the Moon to hom

    8. Re:Why? by GanryuMVP · · Score: 2, Funny

      You won't be cynical when we're all walking round with our triple breasted alien girlfriends damn it.

    9. Re:Why? by gclef · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Have a look at
      http://gltrs.grc.nasa.gov/reports/2005/TM-2005-213 610.pdf

      One of the surprises of the Apollo experience was how troublesome the lunar dust turned out to be. It obscured their vision on landing, clogged mechanisms, abraded the Extravehicular Mobility Suits (EMS), scratched the instrument covers, degraded the performance of radiators, compromised seals, irritated their eyes and lungs, and generally coated everything with surprising tenacity. Some of the EMS components were approaching failure at the end of these missions, which ranged from 21 to 75 hr on the lunar surface.


      Also, the dust is far from a constant size, and is far more abrasive than you'll find here on earth, due to a lack of erosion mechanisms on the moon.

    10. Re:Why? by phoenix.bam! · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Three things a president does when he's sucking it up: Huge shiny project paid for by the public or tax cuts or start a war Bush has already done 2/3. That's why people are bitter about his "Lets go to mars, here's 17 billion $$$.. Actually here's $1 billion, reshuffle your organization to aim for a mars shot without nearly enough money, but it doesn't matter because i'll be out of office 4 years from now and nasa will be screwed. :::EVIL LAUGHTER:::"

    11. Re:Why? by vidarh · · Score: 2, Interesting

      That's short sighted. If you want a little titanium, sure. If you want a steady stream of high volumes of titanium, then things change quickly. It would be stupid to build a moon base to harvest raw materials to build a single ship, or ten, but if it reduces the long term costs of space travel by even a few percent, it would eventually pay for itself.

    12. Re:Why? by Dread_ed · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "the lunar dust is incredibly hard on mechanical things "

      One of the great things about the moon is the lack of atmosphere. This means that when you move dust away from a place it will not return easily.

      Sweepers, vacuums, or (GASP!) explosives could be used to remove the dust from a proposed build site. No more dust and no wind to bring it back!

      Personally I think that he explosive idea is the best as any mechanical device would be subject to the same abbrasive damage that your proposed installation would be.

      Well, that and the fact that I would love to watch through my telescope while we blow shit up on the moon!

      Also, why avoid doing something initially (building a base on the moon in this instance) because it is hard to do and will cost money? We are talking about space exploration and technological advancement. OF COURSE it is going to cost alot of money! It always does, and always more than we think going in.

      The reason why? We don't know what we don't know we don't know. We continually run into unforseen problems. The fantastic part about an undertaking like this, IMHO, is these problems we never even anticipated. We conquer the real roadblocks on the way to the goal and develop new technology in the process. These new technologies provide us with the payoff for doing these outlandish and expensive things when they trickle down to the public sector.

      So in the process of overcoming these obstacles we discover ways of meeting and hopefully exceeding what is required to achieve our goal. Then, when we implement our new ideas, maintenance gets less expensive.

      And for our efforts we have a totally new bag of technological tricks, a smug sense of self accomplishment, AND a lunar base. Beat that!

      --
      When the only tool you have is a claw hammer every problem starts to look like the back of someone's skull.
    13. Re:Why? by JJ · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I worked with a bunch of Apollo veterans. They all told me the dust was surprising and annoying but that it was only because it was a surprise that it caused problems. Keep in mind everything was being done right smack dab in the center of the dust field kicked up by the lander. With no wind, no dispersal; just straight up, straight down.
      The Viking probes to Mars, which were designed/ operated in only a slightly later time frame had no such major troubles because they expected and acted on the dust. Mars is a worse environment for dust as it gets windblown there.
      Mining equipment can be built for low dust spreading, I'm told they call one portion of it 'mud flaps'. Since we are aware of the issue of moon dust and not going in blind (like Apollo) then I don't believe it will be the problem that you think it will be. It will be something we need to consider and design for.

      --
      So long and thanks for all the fish . . . !!!
  8. Back to the moon by ike6116 · · Score: 2, Funny

    USA to China: "Anak...err China, It's over, I've secured the higher ground."

    --

    Are you secure enough in your masculinity to run 'man touch'?
  9. We better invite the Russians by csoto · · Score: 2, Interesting

    They have the only heavy lift vehicles in continuous development and operation that could make this happen. We already use their liquid fuel motors (Boeing and LockMart both licensed Russian motors in their rockets).

    --
    There exists no way of exchanging information without making judgments. --Bene Gesserit Axiom
  10. Erm... by grasshoppa · · Score: 4, Funny

    To paraphrase
    We don't know how we're going to get there or do what we want to do once we get there, but by god, we're going.


    Great., NASA is run by PHBs.

    --
    Mod me down with all of your hatred and your journey towards the dark side will be complete!
  11. again, why by DerKwisatzHaderach · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I advocate developing space travel technology as well as building bases on Mars, but the Moon? really, we went there in the 60's and 70's, saw that there was nothing too worthhile there, and left. I just don't see the point. Maybe someone could explain to me what we could benfit from.

  12. Significance of the statement by dannyitc · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So they've decided they will probably go to the moon 10-15 years from now, may or may not build something there, and have no idea how they're going to get there. Doesn't exactly inspire and encourage like the Kennedy declaration did, does it? It's too bad the public has lost most of its romantic view of space travel. What most people don't realize is that money invested in space exploration usually results in inventions that can be applied here on earth. While I think it's a good thing that Bush is pushing for space exploration, I think NASA needs a PR overhaul to entice more public support, especially in light of the Columbia disaster.

  13. Why? by SuperBanana · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Seriously. Why?

    NOTE:"because", "because it's there", "human curiosity/wonder", and other such pie-in-the-sky BS will not wash. Justifying the billions with "hey, look, we ended up with velcro last time" also doesn't cut it. Nor does "lots of people will be employed with those billions". I'm looking for clear, useful results; not pie-in-the-sky philosophical goodies and promises worthy of a campaign speech. It's a goddamn ROCK and I want to know why we should pay a LOT of money to send a bunch of egotistical people there.

    I challenge thee, Space Fanboys of Slashdot.

  14. who needs a vehicle? by circusboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    "One of these days Alice..."

    --
    -- it's ridiculous how many people misspell ridiculous... (damn, damn, damn...)
  15. More public interest for Moon instead of ISS? by OnTheWay · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think the average person would be more supportive of a moon base (once it was there) compared to the ISS simple because the moon base is located in a physical, identifiable, and visible location. Everyone can see the Moon and think about it and wonder about it. The ISS, on the other hand, is literally in nowhere. Also, the residents seem to be basically stuck in a can. With a Moon base, one can go out for walk and go exploring. I think subconsciously there's a greater appeal to that idea than for that of the ISS.

  16. Scientific American by DanielMarkham · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This month Scientific American ran an editorial about the new space goals. Their basic thrust was to cut the shuttle and space station, leave the science alone, and then you'd still have enough for the moon mission.

    I've got mixed feelings about that viewpoint. I can't help but think the real problem is an aging, risk-adverse bureaucracy and fragmented goals. It's easy to argue all day about what is important or not. Personally, I'd like to see cost-to-orbit decreased by new technology. To me that should be the major national goal. Then the rest of these questions (which are really about money) would not be so pressing. But perhaps that is fixing the long-term problem instead of bickering over budgets today. And heck, that's no fun!

  17. Why? by j-cloth · · Score: 4, Insightful
    While I am hugely dissapointed that I'm not currently living on the lunar colony that was promised to me when I was 8, I really don't see the point in this.

    This whole "To the moon" thing reeks of nothing more than a plan by our good buddy Jr. Bush to:
    a) Distract everybody from the fact that his economy is crumbling and he's not doing so well in a very unpopular war, and
    b) Develop an excuse to justify the weaponization of space.

    Mod me flamebait, but all political discussions are flame wars and this announcement is way more about politics than it is about science.

  18. From Gundam Wing by Ironsides · · Score: 2, Interesting

    1) Put a manufacturing base on the moon.
    2) Build solar powered launch catapult.
    3) Build space station.

    --
    Fly me to the moon Let me sing among those stars Let me see what spring is like On jupiter and mars
  19. The Difference by everphilski · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Kennedy had a goal - showing that good old American capitalism could beat Russian communism. That principle was worth hiring on thousands of engineers and accelerating plans that already were in place to be met by the end of the decade. Not to mention throwing billions at the problem.

    Nowadays we don't have anything to prove. There's no motivation other than science. We can't reuse the Saturn V. Remember what the Saturn V put on the moon? A little tin foil lander, and a small buggy of a car. Not much effective payload, even if you make them unmanned. We'd have to make something bigger... but again, the question is why? Pursuit of science. Which is noble, but not nearly as impressive as getting the one-up on some communists. So it's gonna take awhile...

    -philski-

    1. Re:The Difference by adam1234 · · Score: 3, Funny

      I heard there was oil on the dark side of the moon...

  20. Misplaced priorities? by bogaboga · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Our government has misplaced priorities in my opinion.

    We currently run a huge deficit. All economists tell you this isn't good for the country.

    Our healthcare system is in shambles. It is shameful to hear that Cuba, that has had our economic sanctions for decades, still beats us in some specific medical fields.

    Our education system is in disarray. Students are non-achievers these days. We are also un-able to attract bright students from abroad!

    Out-sourcing is out of hand. We are exporting our manufacturing base. I hear that if the present rate continues, one-third of our entire defense equipment will be manufactured abroad.

    Need I mention immigration? The illeagal immigrants do not pay into any social security system here. When this is going on, you then hear politicians saying that the syetem is nearly broke. Heck, it's nearly broke because not enough people are paying into the system...why?...because a good chunk of people are being payed "under the table".

    Let me stop...I could go on and on. But our politicians have got their priorities wrong in my opinion. Do not be supprised to hear the following: "billions disappear at NASA!" or "NASA still dogged by technical problems despite billions"! Let's wait and see.

    1. Re:Misplaced priorities? by matth1jd · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The national deficit is at around 7 trillion dollars. Nasa's budget this year - 16 billion dollars. Even with the increases scheduled in NASAs budget it doesn't get above 20 billion in this decade. Even at 20 billion a year it take roughly 350 years to pay off the deficit, and that's if it stopped growing NOW.

      The education system in America needs repair no doubt about it. I don't agree that we no longer attract bright students from abroad. I would say that a degree from a U.S. institution is still highly valued. Carnigie Mellon and MIT remain some of the best schools in the world for engineering and computer science.

      If immigration was stopped and all illegal aliens were sent back to their respective countries there would be a massive shortage in the labor force. In my area a vast majority of the construction force is made up of illegal aliens.

      Yeah the country has some problems, it always had problems and always will. That's no reason to stop space exploration, or scientific research, or any number of other things

    2. Re:Misplaced priorities? by eutychus_awakes · · Score: 2, Informative

      Did you mean "studying in the _US_ as an alternative to a U.K university. . ."? Granted Cambridge and Oxford are in a class by themselves. What I'm talking about is universities like New Mexico State University. We have on the order of 10% of our enrollment (out of 16,000 or so on the main campus) coming from countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iraq, Kuwait, China, etc. There are hundreds of universities in the US with similar stats.

      Of course, I imagine England is similar, too.

      --
      This sig is a test. If this had been an actual sig, you would be reading something quite a bit wittier than this now.
  21. Publicity Stunt by everphilski · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Going to the moon in the 70's was nothing more than a publicity stunt. Kennedy didn't give a f*ck about science. All he cared about was showing up the russians. Yes we got some science out of it, but not nearly as much as the NASA guys wanted to get. The Apollo program was cut short after we knew the point was brought home to Russia. We had 3 more Saturn V rockets sitting, waiting to be used. All we needed to do was fill 'em up and let 'em rip. But they cancelled the program. R&D >>> support staff for those missions. If they really cared about science they would have flown.

    -everphilski-

  22. The need for new designs by ichbinderharlekin · · Score: 4, Insightful
    The original moon missions used the venerable Saturn V rocket. The Saturn V was a heavy lifter that is unrivaled even today. The problem is, we don't have any working Saturn V rockets anymore. And I think they threw the plans away during a bit of a spring cleaning. If we intend to get back to the moon within 10 years we have some serious engineering and construction work to get down to. Judging by what we learned on the series of moon missions in the past, NASA will probably have to seriously overengineer everything.

    That fine powdery moon dust turns out to be ridiculously abrasive. The moon happens to lie outside of the major influence of the Earth's magnetic field, so high energy charged particles are a big problem. Considering the setbacks to the shuttle program recently, I wonder if NASA has the budget to start new designs of this sort. Especially considering the fact that we spent enormous amounts of money sending men to the moon Kennedy style.

    Even more, mention of setting up a base on the moon brings thoughts of even greater engineering, construction, and financial burdens. Sending a lander and a few go-karts to the moon is far easier than building a habitat that must withstand the dust, temperatures, and high energy particles. The maintenance required to keep things working on the ISS is tough enough, but throw it a quarter of a million miles away from the Earth on a ball of sandpaper and see how long it lasts.

    This isn't to say I'm not optimistic. I truly hope that we go to the moon and begin building clusters of human life off of this rock we call home. We have all of our eggs in one basket, and the moon seems a good place to start diversifying. I just think that 2015 may be a bit overly optimistic with current budget restraints. (At least in the 60's we had some competition to try to bankrupt, and even then it took us until Reagan to finish the job)

  23. Re:Infrastructure/Building material by AKAImBatman · · Score: 2

    Personally, I think we ought to develop cheaper means of getting into orbit before we try anything really ambitious in space.

    If the last 30 years have proven anything, it's that space access is a chicken and egg problem. You won't get competition for cheaper vehicles until you have a market for those vehicles. Yet you can't create the market without having cheap space access. The Space Shuttle actually drove UP launch costs instead of realizing the promised launch savings! That's why the Delta and Atlas rockets have been making a comeback.

    The key to accessing space is to bootstrap an industry in as inexpensive of a way as you can. Once the industry is bootstraped, uses will emerge and companies will begin competing on technology. At that point, there will be no stopping the space industry.

    Just keep in mind that 50 years ago there was a market for only about six computers in the entire world. Look what happened to that market. :-)

  24. Maybe another priority by Sierpinski · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I'm all for space exploration (of course this really isn't space, and its not really exploration, but anyway) but I think we should set our goals a little closer to home. According to Wikipedia Russia has a 98% literacy rating for people over 15 years old, and I'm sure ours is nowhere close to that. I won't even mention all of the people who are starving. There's a whole soapbox that can be unleashed in this topic of conversation, but I'll keep it, for now, at the literacy part. Personally I'm of the opinion that an education should be one of the top priorities. Now I'm talking about past the basic needs... children can't learn if they die from starvation, obviously, but if you educate the children, you give them an opportunity (not a promise, mind you) to achieve something better in life. Not being able to read or write won't get you very far in this capitalistic society.

  25. Yeah right. A moon base and still no solid ISS? by laetus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Let me get this straight, NASA, along with the other nation-state space agencies who still can't get the International Space Station to work correctly or a regular shuttle service, now going to:

    1) Develop a vehicle to get stuff back and forth from the moon, and
    2) Put a permanent base on the moon?

    Jehoozatz, if they can't do it in Earth orbit, how are they going to do it on the moon?

    --

    "We're sorry, but the website you're trying to reach has been disconnected."
  26. The biggest problem with moon exploration by Simonetta · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The biggest problem with moon exploration is convincing any reasonable and intelligent person on Earth that the entire project is not just a 'welfare for the rich' program for overspecialized engineers and defense contractors who run out of ideas for killing people who don't shop at the Baby Gap.

    We have many major and serious problems on Earth now and are projected to have many more in the not-to-distant future. None of these problems are addressed by anybody's absurd space program.

    I realize that this the least-receptive audience in the world for a rational discussion about the need of a Moon program, nevertheless you are all are really just going to have to used to the fact that there aren't that many people left who seriously share your vision of space exploration.

    The Moon has been right above us for billions of years, and it will be there for billions of more years. It won't make any difference if we address more serious problems first and go back to the Moon in a hundred years or so from now. Nothing there is going to change.

    This is not a troll; it's a serious challenge to the entire mind-set that there are valid reasons to spend billions of dollars on a Moon exploration program.

  27. Re:How about this: by AKAImBatman · · Score: 2, Informative

    I love the Liberty Ship concept. Unfortunately, there's only one problem: Gas-Core Nuclear Rockets are as of yet unproven. Many engineers have their doubts that they will even work. (Although I think with enough money behind it, the concept can be made to work. ;-)) As a result, the GCNR proposal is a bad idea for early space access. It would be another miracle technology that may or may not pan out. It's a much better idea to wait on the GCNR rockets until a market exists.

    In the meantime, we should be able to build some very nice first-gen super-boosters by chaining a few of these babies together into a second stage. Once you have the OOMPH to get the rocket off the ground, you can ditch the first stage and coast a massive amount of cargo to orbit on your afterburning engines (~500 Isp). Once sufficient velocity has been built up, you can drop the afterburning and take the cargo the rest of the way on ~900+ Isp engines.

  28. Take two by GileadGreene · · Score: 2, Informative
    Ick.... must learn not to be so trigger happy with the submit button.

    John F. Kennedy Address at Rice University in the Space Effort September 12, 1962

    President Pitzer, Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb. Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen: I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief. I am delighted to be here and I'm particularly delighted to be here on this occasion.

    We meet at a college noted for knowledge, in a city noted for progress, in a State noted for strength, and we stand in need of all three, for we meet in an hour of change and challenge, in a decade of hope and fear, in an age of both knowledge and ignorance. The greater our knowledge increases, the greater our ignorance unfolds. Despite the striking fact that most of the scientists that the world has ever known are alive and working today, despite the fact that this Nation's own scientific manpower is doubling every 12 years in a rate of growth more than three times that of our population as a whole, despite that, the vast stretches of the unknown and the unanswered and the unfinished still far out-strip our collective comprehension.

    No man can fully grasp how far and how fast we have come, but condense, if you will, the 50,000 years of man's recorded history in a time span of but a half century. Stated in these terms, we know very little about the first 40 years, except at the end of them advanced man had learned to use the skins of animals to cover them. Then about to years ago, under this standard, man emerged from his caves to construct other kinds of shelter. Only 5 years ago man learned to write and use a cart with wheels. Christianity began less than 2 years ago. The printing press came this year, and then less than 2 months ago, during this whole 50-year span of human history, the steam engine provided a new source of power. Newton explored the meaning of gravity. Last month electric lights and telephones and automobiles and airplanes became available. Only last week did we develop penicillin and television and nuclear power, and now if America's new spacecraft succeeds in reaching Venus, we will have literally reached the stars before midnight tonight.

    This is a breathtaking pace, and such a pace cannot help but create new ills as it dispels old, new ignorance, new problems, new dangers. Surely the opening vistas of space promise high costs and hardships, as well as high reward. So it is not surprising that some would have us stay where we are a little longer to rest, to wait.

    But this city of Houston, this State of Texas, this country of the United States was not built by those who waited and rested and wished to look behind them. This country was conquered by those who moved forward-and so will space.

    William Bradford, speaking in 1630 of the founding of the Plymouth Bay Colony, said that all great and honorable actions are accompanied with great difficulties, and both must be enterprised and overcome with answerable courage.

    If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred. The exploration of space will go ahead, whether we join in it or not, and it is one of the great adventures of all time, and no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space.

    Those who came before us made certain that this country rode the first waves of the industrial revolutions, the first waves of modern invention, and the first wave of nuclear power, and this generation does not intend to founder in the backwash of the coming age of space. We mean to be a part of it-we mean to lead it. For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag o

  29. Can we really be ready in 2015? by Theovon · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It's amazing what technology has and has not advanced since the late 60's. Computers are orders of magnitude faster, but we don't have flying cars.

    What it comes down to is that propultion technology has not really advanced that far. Sure, it's more efficient and fine-tuned, but it's not revolutionarily different. I mean, if all you have is chemicals, all you can do is tinker with what chemicals you use. The only revolutionary change will occur when we develop propultion technology that doesn't use chemicals.

  30. Moon is a bad place to refuel for Mars... by Goonie · · Score: 2, Interesting
    According to Robert Zubrin's book on the topic, the trouble with using the moon as a place to refuel on the way to Mars is that it requires almost as much fuel to get to (and go into orbit around) as Mars itself. It's easier just to launch extra fuel tanks (or, even more simply, extra propulsion stages) into LEO.

    Secondly, Mars and the moon are going to be totally different kettles of fish to colonize. Mars has an atmosphere, thin as it is, roughly 24-hour days, and a bloody cold climate. The Moon has no atmosphere whatsoever, four-week days (making it near-impossible to grow anything there), and temperatures that go from bloody cold to bloody boiling. I'm not sure how much we're going to learn about living on Mars from the Moon.

    --

    Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo
    --Andy Finkel (J. Klass?)
  31. Re:In other news... by Talinth · · Score: 2, Funny

    The land on the moon was unclaimed. He claimed it. I applaud his brilliant thinking. International law allows people to lay claim to any unclaimed, unocupied land. Congrats to his quick thinking. - I have no wit

    --
    71.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot.
  32. Seinfeld by geek_xyu · · Score: 2, Funny

    That reminds me..

    "We explored the Earth looking for women. Even went to the Moon, just to see if there was any woman there. That's why we brought that little car, why would you bring a car, unless there's some chance of going on a date? What the hell are you doing with the car on the god-damn Moon? I never was able to figure that out. You're on the Moon!!! Isn't that far enough?!

    There was no more male idea in the history of the Universe, than "Why don't we fly up to the Moon and drive around?". That is the essence of male thinking right there." - Jerry Seinfeld

  33. Robert Heinlein by digital.prion · · Score: 2

    The moon is a Harsh Mistress

    One of the best books I have EVER read. You don't need to know anything else, just get to your library and thank your lucky stars you were let IN on this book.. nuff said.

    --
    Smile.
  34. Re:Gravitational field by Lucractius · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Ahh it raises an interesting possiblility

    In Soviet Russia Moon Lands On You!!!!

    *chuckles*

    Thanks for the good place to plant the joke by the way. Its true that shifing mass from the earth to the moon would shift the Baryocenter of the two bodies closer to the moon, but this also goes back the other way with anything leaving the moon making it lighter shifing the balance towards earths center. But its probably not an issue given the moon is getting about 1cm further away from the earth each year If i remeber the numbers correctly (someone able to back that up?) and it would probably counteract most mass shift between the earth and the moon. Ignoring the fact the mass shift would need to be HUGE before we noticed anyhting at all :) ( 10^7 Tons or more for noticable effects id say)

    --
    XML - A clever joke would be here if /. didn't mangle tag brackets.
  35. Re:In other news... by vidarh · · Score: 2, Informative
    The flaw with that, is that there is little precedent for honouring claims to unclaimed land in cases where the claimant have no presence on those lands, and in deed have never even visited the lands, and have not in any way marked his property.

    Add to that the outer space treaty and several other treaties that significantly limits any rights to claim land in outer space, and it's quite clear that this guy has no basis in international law at all.

  36. Slashdot Commies Oppose Private Lunar Missions? by Baldrson · · Score: 3, Interesting
    While Slashdot has run two stories recently regarding NASA's attempt to recover its glory days, it rejected the following story about private lunar launches. What's the deal? Has Slashdot gone Commie?

    Baldrson writes "Peter Diamandis, originator of the Ansari X-Prize is now claiming private companies may beat NASA back to the Moon: "In the next five to eight years we will have the first private orbital flights occurring. When you're in orbit you are two-thirds of the way to anywhere. I predict that within about three years of private human orbital flights...you'll have the first private teams of people stockpiling fuel on orbit and making a bee-line for the Moon." If Diamandis's math is correct and Bigelow's $50M America's Space Prize is sufficient for orbit, NASA could set up an "Apollo Prize" for a lot less money than they'd spend themselves to return to the moon. Indeed, someone like Paul Allen could afford to endow such a prize if NASA gets too bogged down with funding cycle politics again."

  37. Re:why not use the $ for universal healthcare? by Just+Some+Guy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    We did last November. The majority of the population seems to agree with me. As you've chosen to degrade the conversation to name-calling, that's the last I have to say on the matter.

    --
    Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
  38. Lower cost to orbit - whatever happened to catepul by CrazyMik · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I agree with one of responses that its the cost to orbit that NASA and/or private companies should research. So, what ever happened to making a railgun, or more conventional catipult like system to fling stuff into space?? I know Arther C. Clark discussed it at some point and without rocket motors the G's needed to accelerate something from Earth's surface would SQUISH a human, but hell, it would work for supplies and raw materials. Cylinders of O2 can withstand 15 Gs. So why can't we fling some shipping containers full of sullpies up and meet them up there? I would love some answers??

  39. Re:Multinational moon base? by Zeussy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Cost. I mean the 1st design of the ISS cost $9 billion and that was the budget to build the thing as well. And the designed was floored, wasn't 0G enough, produced too much micro-gravity. The whole thing was scrapped.

    So more money and the international community was dragged in. New design drawn up.

    The problem with the ISS now is that all the inputting countries know its not really worth it ($$$ wise), but no country wants to be the party pooper.

    If anyone has been reading New Scientist recently Synopsisthere was a 4 page article on moon dust and moon base building. The dust can be melted into a glass silicate quite readily, for making roads and landing pads. Low effiency solar panels can be produced by rovers (wasnt that on /. a while back not sure Article). Moon dust is also an irratant, eye and skin wise, also more needs to be known about long term exposure to moon dust. So much finer and sharper than anything dust on earth.

  40. Reality check by Animats · · Score: 3, Insightful
    1. The Shuttle is scheduled to be retired after 2010, or after the next crash, whichever comes first.
    2. NASA doesn't even have a design ready to replace the shuttle.
    3. NASA's last three heavy-lifter projects all failed.
    4. It took 11 years, from 1970 to 1981, to build and fly the Shuttle.
    So there's going to be a period after 2010 during which the US won't have a heavy launch capability. Probably a long period.
  41. Re:Infrastructure/Building material by AKAImBatman · · Score: 3, Interesting

    See that little blue dot next to my name? I was into nuclear engines long before I ever found slashdot. However, I don't trust NASA to complete what it starts. I've lived near the Cape for too long.

    I realize that we both want the same thing, we just disagree on the approach. Most of the NASA issues I've seen go way back to the moment that Nixon effectively shut down the space program. Any and all money was channelled into the Shuttle program, which was subsequently screwed up by Nixon's demands for a "jack of all trades" vehicle. The engineers did an amazing job on the shuttle, and by all rights its technology and power outstrips that of the Saturn V. The problem is the amount of crap hard-bolted to that technology, and the Carter administration's demands to "stretch out" the costs. The result was a half-rate craft that was unable to complete any mission effectively.

    Regean tried to build on the existing investment by supporting NASA's plans for Space Station Freedom, a Lunar Transit, and eventually a Lunar Base. He also pushed NASA to complete the National Space Plane to provide for cheap access to space. But between the Shuttle's downtime after Challenger and Clinton's cutbacks to the space program (which resulted in that piece of shit in the sky known as the ISS), all the original goals of Regean's program have been missed.

    Now we're scrapping all of our super-fancy technology and doing it the way we know it can be done. I see this as a *good* thing because it's the only way our space program will progress. Remember, NASA's current budget is being sucked dry by flying and maintaining the space shuttle. At $500 million per launch, it's anything but and effective method for getting to space!

    The CEV program (even if only Spiral One is completed) will free up NASA's coffers to do more interesting stuff than sending 104 metric tonnes up and down the gravity well. (Yes, the Space Shuttle weighs that much.) We don't have figures yet, but even at $100 million per launch the CEV will be 5 times as cost effective as the shuttle is today. My guess is that realistic launch costs will settle somewhere closer to $50-$75 million per launch. A significant savings.

    Unfortunately, it seems like the capital, either political or monetary, to build them isn't easy to find. To me, that says that the designs aren't really that great. Building prototypes is the most important step of R&D - and I was saying that we need to build better engines before spending $umpteen billion in space.

    Now slow down a moment here. Quite a few prototypes *have* been built. The NERVA program was considered successful, and was ready to fly prior to the cancellation of pretty much all space programs. The Orion was prototyped in many forms (you've seen the Put-Put video I assume?) but finally died in the cancellation of the Saturn V program. The linear aerospike engines and hyrdrogen slush technologies were key to the X-33. That program was underfunded and undercommitted to by NASA (as was the Delta Clipper). Most of these engines are developed enough to take a risk on, but the only one you're likely to see in the near term is the Nuclear Thermal Rockets. The rest will wait until we again have aerospace companies fighting to create the best hardware. (They were pretty disillusioned after their treatment in the 90's.)

    Other engine concepts:

    - Nuclear Salt Water Rocket: Must be tested in space due to the radioactivity of the fuel.

    - Gas-Core Nuclear Rocket: Research is progressing, but no working prototype yet exists.

    - Antimatter catalyzed engines: This is related to the Orion engine, and cannot be used on Earth due to the nuclear test ban treaty. A mission is already planned, however.

    - Ion Engines: These are already used.

    - Solar Sails: These have been used on a few test missions.

    - M2P2 Solar Sails: Under development. Could be useful for a more powerful Orion design.

    - Deadalus: Excellent solution for travel beyond our sol

  42. It would take sincerity. by Chris+Burke · · Score: 2, Insightful

    So, we're going to go to Mars on a timetable that completely eliminates any accountability for him, while spending tremendous amounts of money on this, but we can't give NASA the funding to keep the Hubble, which will hold the title of greatest astronomical instrument ever for at least another ten years, from burning up on reentry?

    Yeah, he's real dedicated to space. Mars/Moon is a boondogle designed to make Bush look like Kennedy. He wants to be a visionary without the annoying aspect of actually implementing said vision getting in his way like it did with his World of Democracy vision.

    If any of the headlines you said were actually true, and not cynical half-hearted attempts to look like he's doing what you said, I'd applaud them. Instead, his energy plan consists of drilling in the ANWR and building more coal plants.

    I'm willing to give credit where it is due. I hate Clinton, but I was pretty pleased when he relaxed cryptography export restrictions, just as an example So, out of curiosity, what exactly should I be giving Bush credit for?

    --

    The enemies of Democracy are
  43. I worked at NASA... by chriswaclawik · · Score: 2, Funny

    I was the one who came up with this. But due to budget cuts, they had to change "Back to the Future" to "Back to the Moon." Otherwise, it's pretty much as is.

    --
    A guy walks into a bar... well, I forgot the joke, but the punchline is that he's an alcoholic.