nasa plans bigger moon base
- Thread starter watermelony2k
- Start date
I agree that returning to the Moon for a flag planting mission could be a waste of time and money. However the space station idea isn't all bad, yes its been badly managed and its costs have been huge but its still a very useful project that needs to be completed.
Understanding how to survive in a fully functional station is something NASA needs to do, Skylab was ok, it was mostly for experimentation and solar studies. The Biosphere-2 was a total flop but the Russian MIR proved to be far more useful for long duration flights. Basically what landing humans on Mars calls for is an outbound journney which may take 5-6 months, then you've got about a year on the surface and unless you've built yourself a colony with a family of spacekids our astronauts will face another 6 months for the return-home-trip. Over the next few years the ISS is going to be the closest we've got to building an outbound Mars Vessel. There are new powers growing on the world stage, China and India have expressed a desire for space and there may be an EU-Russo alliance in space, the next country that dominates space will control events not just on Mars but politically and culturally.
Oh yeah...and nevermind what the flag wavers say about lower costs and the upcoming private sectors. Building a Mars colony is going to be great but it ain't gonna be cheap.
All Seeing Eye
Admiral
Check out my avator guys and gals, the only people going anywhere in space in the future is Europe, and we're going straight for mars. 
Yeah well, those losers are trolling humanity's progress. Go warn them.
We've been sending probes throughout the solar system since at least the 70's; the rovers are certainly useful and cool, but overall they're not that bloody impressive. We could be doing so much more if we could just put the effort and funding into it.
My original point was that exploring the solar system to any great extent will require an off-world hub of some kind, barring some massive leap forward in propulsion technology, something we lack right now.
All Seeing Eye
Admiral
FemurBone said:
Fire said:
Check out my avator guys and gals, the only people going anywhere in space in the future is Europe, and we're going straight for mars.
With what money? Europe hasn't even launched a man in space yet.
The ESA has already built a mock-up spaceship which will simulate a voyage to Mars, this is obviously merely a first step but eventually, not too far in the future, we will send someone for real. I'm sure money wont be a problem, european entrepreneurs im sure will gladly donate some money for a mars mission and if the ESA is determined to do it they can easily budget for it.
Last week's launch of NASA's Dawn mission to the asteroid Vesta and "dwarf planet" Ceres came, coincidentally, at dawn on the East Coast. The weather was perfect and the liftoff made for some spectacular photography. This mosaic image is a good example.
Dawn is now en route to the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Mission managers plan a 2011 rendezvous with Vesta, where Dawn will pause and orbit for six months. From there, it will push on to Ceres.
http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/2007/10/dawn_launch_spectacular.html
China aims for lunar base after 2020
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jddV83Kwj52TIw2cpf4C2MmuSFHQ
The European Space Agency offered a preview look Thursday at its powerful Herschel, which, when launched next year, will be the largest space telescope yet put into orbit
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/09/biggest-space-t.html
Dawn is now en route to the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Mission managers plan a 2011 rendezvous with Vesta, where Dawn will pause and orbit for six months. From there, it will push on to Ceres.
http://weblogs.marylandweather.com/2007/10/dawn_launch_spectacular.html
China aims for lunar base after 2020
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jddV83Kwj52TIw2cpf4C2MmuSFHQ
The European Space Agency offered a preview look Thursday at its powerful Herschel, which, when launched next year, will be the largest space telescope yet put into orbit
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/09/biggest-space-t.html
People say that the Shuttle & ISS were "mistakes" that diverted us from the Moon and Mars (which aren't going anywhere).
My opinion is that we needed some time to refine the technology for getting into and out of orbit and constructing large-scale structures in hard vacuum.
When I see an astronaut on EVA perched on the end of the robot arm, in a perfectly clean spacesuit, holding a 600-pound component effortlessly in his hands...
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-118/html/s118e06993.html
...I think of how much effort that would be on the Moon: Lugging that 100 pounds and getting coated in moondust.
My opinion is that we needed some time to refine the technology for getting into and out of orbit and constructing large-scale structures in hard vacuum.
When I see an astronaut on EVA perched on the end of the robot arm, in a perfectly clean spacesuit, holding a 600-pound component effortlessly in his hands...
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/images/shuttle/sts-118/html/s118e06993.html
...I think of how much effort that would be on the Moon: Lugging that 100 pounds and getting coated in moondust.
TheMasterOfOrion said:
NASA: China May Win New Space Race
http://www.space.com/news/ap-071003-china-spacerace.html
That's alot of nonsense. China simply doesn't have the funding. Just like the Soviet Union didn't have the funding.
Senate boosts NASA budget by $1 billion
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5189573.html
but Bush may veto his own Mars-vision so he can finally clamp down on excessive spending ?
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5189573.html
but Bush may veto his own Mars-vision so he can finally clamp down on excessive spending ?
Space Station Gets Its First Woman Commander
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3751344&page=1
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3751344&page=1
