Newt Skywalker And His Moonbase?

[Drewish]

Oh please, like we need a stupid fucking moon base

No, we need a smart fucking moon base.

[laklak]

Too late.

http://www.ironsky.net/

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Too late.

http://www.ironsky.net/

[Coito ergo sum]

I love that suggestion from Newt.

All jokes aside, it is a monumentally good idea from a scientific and an economic standpoint. One of the most shortsighted things done in the last few decades was to cancel the Constellation Moon program 1/2 way through. Think how much farther along we'd be, if it wasn't canceled three years ago.

Oh, but the Private Sector stepped in once the restraining and wasteful government program was canceled and took up the challenge. The world is now a better place for that, you know.

You're preaching to the wrong guy, my friend. I have never said that the government should not be involved in various things. That's someone else. If you're making a general statement not directed at me personally, then I understand that there are some people who would support Newt's suggestion, but also oppose all or most other government activities. I'm just not one of those people (although I do oppose many government activities - it's not black and white for me - I don't say "government good" or "government bad")

One, there weren't any restraints on the private sector, other than the government not giving them hundreds of millions of dollars to use for the projects. The private sector is not restrained by a NASA program to send men to the Moon an build a base.

Two, the private sector did not pick up the challenge to go to the Moon. There is no private sector Moon program.

Three, there is no reason there can't be a vibrant private sector space industry, and also a vibrant public sector Apollo-style program for the Moon and Mars. The private sector is not in a position to make the leap to those monumentally expensive projects because there is no business interest in it. They're too long term, and the returns on investment, such as mining, energy production, and other possible ways to recoup costs, are too remote. It's an ideal area for the government to take the lead and fund fabulously scientifically valuable program, and a program that is valuable to all mankind.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Who said I was preaching to you?

[Coito ergo sum]

Oh please, like we need a stupid fucking moon base

Yeah, all that stupid science. Who needs it. Exploration? Pah! Technological development and advancement and the opportunity to eventually move human beings out of one single basket? Tosh!

Who needs an outpost for astronomical studies, a stepping stone for missions to other planets, and an abundant source of raw materials?

I would love to go back to the moon. I think that to go back to the moon for a period of six months and prove that we, as a species, can survive on an extraterrestrial body, I think, is a huge milestone that we need to prove to ourselves that we're capable of.

We do a lot of training as astronauts. We call it expeditionary behavior. The great expeditionaries of the previous centuries -- Shackleton, you know, I look at Shackleton's expedition to the South Pole. Even though it was unsuccessful, the ability of this band of people to survive in the most austere conditions, using the resources that were around them to preserve their life and ultimately return back to their home, is really kind of that -- what we're trying to capture.

To go back to the moon and derive from the moon's resources our ability to sustain humankind for an indefinite period of time, to me, is the consummate idea behind exploration. I would love to see us go do that someday.

Can we do it on an asteroid? Perhaps -- I think an asteroid's a little less hospitable, but still possible nonetheless. Can we go to a Martian moon? Perhaps -- Mars, of course, would be ideal, but it would sure be nice to be able to demonstrate this capability to ourselves a mere quarter of a million miles away rather than wandering out there 160 million miles away.

http://curiosity.discovery.com/question ... base-offer

[Coito ergo sum]

Who said I was preaching to you?

Figure of speech, like 'preaching to the choir'...

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Who said I was preaching to you?

Figure of speech, like 'preaching to the choir'...

[Drewish]

Cost benefit man. I'm not convinced that it's time to put a base on the moon. Let the Chinese make their own mission to the moon first.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Cost benefit man. I'm not convinced that it's time to put a base on the moon. Let the Chinese make their own mission to the moon first.

Of what use is a new born babe?

[laklak]

Yeah, good idea, Chinese on the moon. They'll kill all the Moon Worms to make hard-on soup.

[Animavore]

Oh please, like we need a stupid fucking moon base

Well if we're to get a manned mission to Mars, a particular interest to scientists trying to understand the early solar system and the remote possibility of life origins; yes we need a base on the moon.

[Azathoth]

He can make it on the cheap with child labour

[Coito ergo sum]

Cost benefit man. I'm not convinced that it's time to put a base on the moon. Let the Chinese make their own mission to the moon first.

Chinese, Shminese - so many people keep saying how awesome the Chinese at space missions. They've had like, one, successful test, and most of their shit blows up on the launch pad.

It's also a national security issue to not let the Chinese dominate the space.

The costs are relatively small, compared to the shit hardly anyone complains about - we spent 10 times NASA's annual budge in 2009 building useless shit in some sort of "Stimulus" program. $500,000,000 was paid to Solyndra, which the shareholders of that boondoggle stole and then filed bankruptcy - and the government says "oopsy! Guess not all investments work out..."

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Oh please, like we need a stupid fucking moon base

Well if we're to get a manned mission to Mars, a particular interest to scientists trying to understand the early solar system and the remote possibility of life origins; yes we need a base on the moon.

I'll reply to this one.