The NASA delusion

Moon base project sucks up potential climate research dollars

In the annals of self-delusion, NASA's Moon-Mars mission ranks right at the top. Today's NY Times, for example, carries details about NASA's plans for a moon base to be built sometime around 2020.

Let me be clear. There is a 0 percent chance that this Moon base or anything like it will ever be built, for the following reason: the moon missions in the '60s and early '70s cost something like $100 billion in today's dollars. There is no way that setting up a semipermanent lunar base will be anything other than many times more expensive. That would put the total cost at one to a few trillion dollars.

If the author is correct.. Good..

The author is likely correct.

Lately, NASA is more able to spend huge sums of money and tell us why the required project can't be done on time or within budget. Not like the old days!

Whereas, an X-prize for a few tens of billions (tax free) for the first American company to do the same project would be a win-win situation -- for everyone but NASA. So, what are the odds?

Zero?

In the annals of self-delusion, NASA's Moon-Mars mission ranks right at the top. Today's NY Times, for example, carries details about NASA's plans for a moon base to be built sometime around 2020.

Let me be clear. There is a 0 percent chance that this Moon base or anything like it will ever be built,

This knucklehead - probably an anti-space travel loon - makes the incorrect assumption that rocket tech. will not advance and therefore make space travel much less expensive.

AD ASTRA has a winning power plant that will be able to get to planets in this solar system very quickly. The question is when -- and it won't be as long as you think.

Dr. Chang-Diaz’s VASIMR engine is cool tech, but what is often neglected is that it requires a nuke power plant to provide the needed electrical energy. The enviro-nazis have made it damn near impossible to launch even a low power nuclear power source into space, let alone what would be necessary to power a VASIMR engine. I hope that changes, but in today’s political reality, it’s still a wish.

It may not be NASA that sets up the first moon base, but a private enterprise. It will happen someday.

Anyone that thinks a private enterprise will make it to the moon before a government enterprise is deluded. Unfortunately it takes the kind of investment that only a government can afford.

My sources say that NASA will be making a big change in direction near the end of the year, or beginning of next year that will TOTALLY change the way the game is being played. We're talking an about face. The ominous sign is the departure of Scott Horowitz (known for giving us the Shaft). The Stick is Scott's baby, and if what I'm hearing is true, then his departure and the change of plans are well timed in order to do as little personal damage to Doc as possible.

Put it this way, the new plan would mean the spaceflight gap is reduced from almost 5 years to less than 2. It would also free up significant funds for lunar development meaning the first lunar sorties would occur in the 2016-2017 time frame. The development will also negate the weight saving reductions that were forced on the Orion design teams and will bring us back to a better (more sane) design for Orion.

Now don't get me wrong, I would be THRILLED if alt.space could get humans to the Moon. I just don't see it happening without some sort of infrastructure there first. Unfortunately, we only have ourselves to blame for this. Nixon killed Apollo, there are no two ways about it. He hung the albatross of the shuttle around our necks.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.