NASA wants moon base by 2024

NASA seems to be launching a new space initiative, and putting man back on the moon and developing a colony there. Seems that at the moment this is looking at Shackleton's crater near the South Pole.

Am I being a bit cynical to say this a Bush plot to become popular again by moving the focus of the American people?

Yes, war is the traditional method, but 2.5 wars haven't done much for him so...

You have to hand it to Dubya, colonising the moon is creative.

I guess its about as plausible as finding WMDs in Iraq.

Well if it gets DW back in a space suit then I am for it.

I meant this more as a political discussion rather than a real space thread

God is everywhere.

Who decides who owns land on the moon? Does the USA have any right to establish a base there, even a purely scientific one? I read about this earlier today and my gut reaction was that they are trying to add the moon to the long list of places where they have a military presence.

who cares, the moon is geologically uninteresting and strategically unimportant. With dollars and effort being spent by the US on this white elephant, it will surely keep them away from stupid foreign interventions like Iraq at least and that is a good thing in my books.

Yes, you're being cynical. I wish people cared that much but they don't. Anyway, this is hardly new. It was shortly after Columbia in February 2003 when Bush gave NASA some long overdue political directive: moon and Mars.


It's that attitude that makes me hope the US does not involve Europe in any way. That and the fact that you're shit at manned spaceflight.

The Moon belongs to America and anxiously awaits the arrival of our Astromen.

From what I have seen on sky, one of the steering comity is an Italian woman

I retract the comment about all of Europe and replace it with "All of Europe except Italy." The Italians are the only European nation to show any real competence in manned space flight (MPLM, Node 2, etc.). They've done good work outside the umbrella of the European Space Agency.

I have a question. Will this thread be eligible for the best of TT review?

I would nominate sending Bush to the moon to make everyone happy especially me.

?

So DW have you ever been to the moon? Is it really made of cheese?

are not a lot of the people doing work for the European space agency American?...I seem to remember meeting a few of these people and they spoke with a very American accent? And if i remember right most of the designers and developers for previous moon missions where German?

Now now scogs let DW answer my questions first then yours.

100% of ESA's current manned operations team are Americans hired away from mission control positions at NASA.

A handful of Germans (Nazi Germany had the 1st ballistic missiles) were instrumental in the early American and Russian space programs. Those people are long dead and their expertise was never handed down in Europe.

@ perdido

The moon is the jam! I'm looking to book a ticket as soon as Southwest picks up the route.

I doubt it. Southwest will prolly get bought out by US Air. That will suck. No legroom at all, which would be a right old pain the arse for a 400.000 km one way trip.. It's bad enough just flying up to Eugene

How long does it take to fly to the moon? In hours/days please; none of this light years stuff.

About 3 days as I recall. Mars is ~6-18 months depending on how you do it and were it is.

so my KLM and NWA card is screwed again!

KLM works with NWA? F*ck da polize...

I was in Toulouse yesterday with the material manufacturer for some special space stuff arranging a deal (read: Went to see a man about a dog). Anyways up, discovered a weird chain. These geezers flog the gear to the company what owns Airbus, who flog the gear to the European Space Agency. Only it's NASA who really want the gear but don't have the access to that particular materials technology (because of exclusivity issues). NASA have the same deal on other gear that the ESA wants, so the original material is swapped by the ESA for something NASA has. Strange deal, almost as strange as the fuckin' ONE THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND THIRTY fuckin' FOUR EUROS airfare (economy) to fly Munich - Toulouse and back. WTF was that all about??? There were only four passengers (including me) on the bleedin' flight. Might as well have used an A380 to give us a bit more space... could have played hide and soddin' seek.

Was it KLM?

Lufthansa. I don't fly on dodgy carriers.

I can only guess that somebody overcharges for aircraft, and Lufthansa attempts to claw the money back. Maybe Lufthansa flights to Seattle are outrageously priced as well. Try to get a ticket Munich - Toulouse direct 3 months in advance and it's still the same price.

You get free magazines though.

Are we talking about this next space shuttle heading up in a few days? If so, there's a Swede on board too, and the country's going ballistic about it.

Christer Fuglesang - first Swedish chef in space

I'm glab to hear that. Few Germans know there is been a German in space for the last ~6 months. With Fuglesang in orbit there will be two Europeans in space at the same time; and exceptionally rare event.

Pah.. cant wait till the day they rename Mars, just as the did the "marathon" bar...

And as for the moon being made of cheese, I was informed it was made of a substance not much different than a Florists Oasis!

Its all a conspiracy!

Wrong.

1) The Apollo Program addressed one of the most interesting questions ever fathomed: the origin of our Solar System. The last man ever to walk on the moon was Dr. Harrison Schmitt - a geologist.
2) It will be critical for developing materials and experience in sustaining life on a foreign body. A rehearsal for a far more complicated distant Mars. Also it could be used as a staging area for said trip.


Didn't you support the Iraq war?

Hmm. Vietnam War 1965-1975. Apollo Program 1961-1975. How were they able to finance both Senator Mondale?

White Elephant, if that wasn't ever sour grapes if I've ever heard it before. How many Brits have been in space?


I place more credence in tea leaves myself.

AAAAh no.As I recall the last man to walk on the moon was Eugene Cernan.
Here is his famous words: "As we leave the Moon at Taurus-Littrow, we leave as we came, and God willing, as we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind. As I take these last steps from the surface for some time to come, I'd just like to record that America's challenge of today has forged man's destiny of tomorrow. Godspeed the crew of Apollo Seventeen."

fucking hell who hell employed a marketing company to write that!

I can only see this whole thing as a marketing ploy by old George, If its all real and they really want to go for it, great news, from what I have seen on the news is that it is being funded by "shuttle flights that have not happened"

The rocket is going to be an Orion carrying 4 people...basically going back to Saturn days, ...as a thought would it not have been a better option to make a better Shuttle, finish the space station and use that as a staging post to build a "whatever" to get to the moon without all the need to move a very large object from Miami to the moon

It's still in the sky, right?

no ...you can find it on the shelf's of the nearest tenngies

"As I recall, here are his words." Like you knew the quote! Here's his last words: "Okay, Jack. Let's get this mother outta here."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_17

Cernan was with Schmitt on the very last Apollo trip to the moon. The EVA was always a two man crew. As Cernan was the commander, like Armstrong, he would take the most glory.

Who closed the barn door before leaving the moon?

I never implied that I did. Thats something you did.
I wrote:


. Granted spelling mistake. Should have said: Here are his famous words.
Fact remains you said :


Commander glory or not. History books state that Cernan not Schmitt was the last man to walk on the moon. Simple fact.

is this thread title going to be the most modded in 2006?

Either none or three depending on how you look at it:


British Interplanetary Society

Notice that they all fly under the American flag, not the British:



Most accurately: three Americans who also have British citizenship have flown in space.

United Nations Treaties and Principles on Space Law


Yes

I'm trying to imagine the size of the oxygen tank that enabled him to be so long-winded. Is he a politician now?

...plus Helen Sharman, the British chemist who few on Mir.

But she's a woman so I'm not sure it counts.

Enough with the trans-atlantic wank fest over the moon, that isn't even slightly important.
New Zealand National Air and Space Defense League are the people that protect the moon from hostiles which is of actual importance:



More here

Oi!

Ha! First DW doesn't know where Mars is (in space, dickhead), and now he forgets about Saint Helen Sharman who was born to save our souls by flying into space and appearing on Blue Peter every second Friday for eleven years.

NASA my arse.

Thanks Bob, I'd long forgotten about Sharman (probably because her seat was bought alas so was Reiters').

DW's an intelligent man, and I'm sure NASA benefitted greatly from his expertise, wit and good humour, but a quick review of this thread and I'm thinking that what NASA really needs is a branch of Toni & Guy, or at the very least a monkey trained in using scissors.

No, it doesn't count because she went up in a Commie rocket that later fell apart and almost clobbered New Zealand.