Will we ever... live on the Moon?

BBC News ^ | 14 June 2012

[MinorityRepublican]

Four decades after the Apollo missions, the idea of colonising the Moon is still the stuff of science fiction. But astronomer Phil Plait argues that it is not an issue of whether we can live there, but how and why we want to.

Will mankind once again walk on the lunar surface? I wouldn’t even hesitate to say “yes”, because the future is long, and who in the early 1950s would have dared to predict that we would even land a craft on the Moon within 20 years? But in this case, the answer probably isn’t as interesting as the question itself – more specifically, when, and why, and how will we do it?

I can think of many possible scenarios that could lead to us colonising the Moon: an extended economic boom that allows us to fund ambitious space exploration; a breakthrough in launch costs which makes them drastically cheaper; or the discovery of some vital natural resource on the Moon. But I don’t like betting on breakthroughs.

A better question is then: “What is a likely way we’ll end up with a human presence on the Moon?” Given what we know today and extrapolating from there, I have a thought on how this could happen.

[hattend]

From the pic it looks like Moonbeam Brown will finally get his high speed rail.

[IronJack]

Within the next hundred years, there will be an established human presence on Earth’s moon. I envision something modular like the space station. In fact, the station’s modules could be designed to be transported to the moon for permanent installation there.

[Young Werther]

He3! Senator, Astronaut Harrison Schnitt wrote Return to the Moon. He is a geologist and analyzed lnar material and trained other astronauts to gather lunar materials. The amount of lunar materials would allow the building of a lunar colony, mining He3, building fusion reactors, generating and beaming the electricity to earth. This is proven technology which would provide electricity to all of Earth with NO pollution of our atmosphere.

Cost would be substatial but when you look at the RETURN ON INVESTMENT of 25% for the entire Apollo program's 25Billion dollar investment we should start the process yesterday!

[Truth29]

Our government, and many others, do not want low cost abundant energy. Restrictions are all about power and control. Can't have a population that has too much freedom through economic and energy prosperity.