NASA returning to the moon in 5 years

[edd_jedi]

Anybody else see this?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47721467

As much of a plum Trump is, I would really respect him for having the vision to see this through. IMO it's a travesty that we haven't been back for nearly 50 years, and the way things have been going for the last couple of decades I thought I would never see a moon landing in my lifetime.

 

[theforceuk]

Yes I saw this, I follow space exploration closely and it's very exciting. With the amount of money being spent by private billionaires it's making the impossible seem more and more possible. I can see a human mission to Mars within our life time and a probe sent to Proxima Centauri within that time. The probe will probably not get their in our life time though.

It is disappointing that we haven't been back to the moon but technology is driven by profit and until space travel becomes profitable it will be a slow progression. But we're getting their I think. When NASA whent to the moon with the Apollo missions they were ridiculously expensive and unsustainable. It was more about getting their before the Soviet Union than anything else.

 

[edd_jedi]

I think that's the biggest problem with the world today, everything has to be profitable. Why does a library or a post office need to be profitable? They are not there to make money, they are there to serve the millions of people who pay billions of pounds in tax every year. It's the same with space exploration, it's only expensive if you look at it in $USD. What about the scientific and public morale benefits, let alone even the long term survival of the human species? A price cannot be put on those things. I think a lot of governments/industries could learn a lot from the 1960s space era.

 

[theforceuk]

I think that's the biggest problem with the world today, everything has to be profitable. Why does a library or a post office need to be profitable? They are not there to make money, they are there to serve the millions of people who pay billions of pounds in tax every year. It's the same with space exploration, it's only expensive if you look at it in $USD. What about the scientific and public morale benefits, let alone even the long term survival of the human species? A price cannot be put on those things. I think a lot of governments/industries could learn a lot from the 1960s space era.

I completely agree, the problem is western democracies are run by corrupt individuals who do what's popular not always what's best. They are more interested in self gain. Most Scientists agree that a huge Asteroid is the most likely next cause of a mass extinction event, but how much money is invested in detecting them? A fraction of what should be and that's because the average person doesn't think it will ever affect them. A bit like global warming, 20 years ago.

 

[Snaketibe]

Private companies wholly or perhaps jointly with a Government seems the most likely way we might go to the moon. The problem with Donald Twat's announcement (made via VP Pence) is that both George W Bush and Barack Obama announced similarly ambitious and lofty aims of going to the moon, and we all know what happened to those plans.

I really hope we do go to the moon, but I won't hold my breath... which is kind of ironic, since I wouldn't be able to breathe there anyway ;-)

 

[Mini99]

I'm also suspect that we are unlikely to get to the moon or any other planets again in my life time.
The reason being is that as Jeremy said above the last two administrations also set that goal, but congress vetoed it and nothing came if it.
I can't see Trump getting back in again, so will the next administration also want this commitment and expense round their necks?
Sorry to be negative about this as this is something that I would love to see, but until someone HAS to go to the moon I doubt that we will.
China are flexing their muscles, but how much longer can their economy keep spending that sort of money and don't even mention India!
Space for the foreseeable future will be for the very rich with money to burn (see what I did there :lol and restricted to earths near orbit.
I hope I live to see that I'm wrong!

 

[theforceuk]

Elon Musk has other ideas. :lol: :shock:

https://futurism.com/elon-musk-moon-base-spacex

 

[Robstyley]

I saw a great documentary about NASA the other night. The whole thing when it started was about it not being a military organisation or profit making. It was supposed to be for the advance of science and being non military they are about the sharing of information and cooperation with other nations. The Hubble telescope bit was awesome, that thing gave us images of mind blowing ****, galaxies of stars billions of miles away. I love all that stuff.

 

[StarWarsFan]

NICE ONE