NASA's Moon goals under review.

[sheeny (Al)]

This is from Nature:

http://www.nature.com/news/2009/0906....2009.582.html

Nearly 40 years after the first lunar landing, NASA's mission of returning people to the Moon by 2020 is in jeopardy. A new set of rockets called Ares, slated to replace the retiring Space Shuttle, could be on the chopping block after President Barack Obama's administration ordered a review of the agency's human spaceflight programme.

Al.

[iceman (Mike)]

Nooooo, I hope not.

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

I imagine that this will be another of those hard decisions Obama unfortunately has to make. I do not envy him - he has a rather large mess to clean up. At the end of theday - is space exploration critical to their economy? Is the science worth it? I personally think that it is - but I'm not running a country with an ailing economy the size of theirs.

[GrampianStars (Rob)]

Pretty simple really
open NASA up to private enterprise
will enhance the program no end
apart from all the military BS up there
the US doesn't want capable individuals in space

IMO the US can't even clean up all the space crap dumped in orbit
fix that
before a manned moon mission to further pollute the space environment

[Enchilada]

When you haven't got any money, except a printing press, what else do you do?

[MrB (Simon)]

Originally Posted by GrampianStars

Pretty simple really
open NASA up to private enterprise

Sponsorship?
A big red rocket with the word 'Coke' in the place where 'NASA' currently sits
Or how about the RedBull Rover?
Nike logo on their boots and the words 'Just do it' spread at an angle across their backpacks?
This could work!

[renormalised (Carl)]

That's to be expected given the current financial situation, but it's not going to be like this forever (unless I'm mistaken!!). However, at the rate NASA plans for these things and dithers over everything, along with the way governments work, it'll probably be early-mid century (2030-2050) before we really get back to the Moon...let alone Mars.

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by Omaroo

I imagine that this will be another of those hard decisions Obama unfortunately has to make. I do not envy him - he has a rather large mess to clean up......- but I'm not running a country with an ailing economy the size of theirs.

Quite right Chris...what is it now $10 trillion dollar debt, or something like that??!!

[Davekyn (David)]

I agree with private enterprise or would even be happy with "any" other nation taking the reigns. Whatever Nation I guess the same political and ethical debates/restraints would still hold us back.

IMHO I think we've collected enough data remotely, & the sooner we again start pioneering, the sooner we can move ahead on many levels.

I guess better late than never-I just worry if we'll have a platform to launch from, if we leave it to late. Oh well, chin up, I'm sure we'll get there sooner than later, with private enterprise either taking over or pressuring those that can do.

[mswhin63 (Malcolm)]

Maybe Richard Branson will take us to the moon.

Virgin Moon Flights

[GrampianStars (Rob)]

Originally Posted by mswhin63

Virgin Moon Flights

Will put a new spin on "Just Do It"
"Flying High Club"

[Davekyn (David)]

I'm not that convinced, it need be as exspensive as made out to be. Sure, if you want 100% guarantees and worry about political fallout or implication at every step of the way. Maybey "that guy" who was or is pushing the Mars Direct program would do a good job cutting costs. No doubt the guy wants to by pass the moon alrogeather, but with private enterprise, I'd put my money on him for a no nonsense aproach that could be done in record time and minimal cost, leaving behind whatever was needed for the next mission and all that.
If money is eveyones reasoning, then maybey we really should go
Mars Direct. I'm 40 now & going by today's progress, I figure I'll be dead before any meaningful achievent in maned explorations is ever made again.

Less ofcourse I disregard all cival/local & international laws on the subject & build my own damn rocket

[renormalised (Carl)]

Originally Posted by GrampianStars

Will put a new spin on "Just Do It"
"Flying High Club"

The "239,000 Mile High Club"

[Astro78]

A few personal thoughts shared:
1. What value can you put on reaching the moon first? Did this help future US Scientists and Engineers believe they can do anything. Of course it did.

2. How did Russia succeed with Mir (we're led to believe in the West that this was a huge failure...nonsense). Scientists and Cosmonaughts were paid jack. Mir fell apart due to a collapse of the USSR. Prior to that it was resources and brilliance. [Nasa spends millions designing a pen to use in space, Russia uses a pencil]. What signal will a US cancel show the world?

3. Dual technologies. Nuff said.

4. Helium 3 mining. Few people realise that if all types of power plants currently operating worldwide switched to Nuclear, we'd run out of Uranium in 100 years. Hmm then what... (Ok we can scrape the reactor walls for a long long time).

5. US Black budget. Haven't been back for 37 years? I wonder... Wasn't the B-2 designed and built with total secrecy....I'm not sure.

[casstony]

U.S. corporates infiltrate government and relax lending standards - the same companies get themselves into trouble with mountains of bad debt - corporates/politicians redirect taxpayer funds to insolvent companies from NASA, schools, etc. I get angry thinking that the current mess was not an accident.

If history repeats, next will be the trade wars followed by the shooting wars.

Can semi-intelligent life evolve past our current self-destructive phase in order to conquer the heavens?