[suijuris]

Unless there is some tangible point to Newt's moonbase project, it doesn't make any more sense to me than any spendthrift racking up gobs of debt on his credit cards buying pointless stuff just for the thrill of spending. It is imperative that we get back into space. The space program resulted in the majority of the technological advances we take for granted today.

There are vast rare metal deposits on the moon and the planets waiting to be developed. The Chinese have plans to develop these resources on the moon as well as establish a military presence there (think huge missile platform 240,000 miles from earth).

[SgtHooper]

Agreed, as well as the Russians. And the Russians are staking claims to vast expanses of ocean bed minerals in the Artic as well. And where are we on this? Focusing on the frickin “disenfranchised” poople.

[jwalsh07]

It cost Apollo 135 billion in todays dollars to put a 50 ton payload on the moon. Rocket technology is basically the same today as it was then. A moon base would require 1000’s of tons of payload. And for what? Moon rocks. You know any entrepeneurs willing to risk trillions to lose it?

[Wissa]

The Chinese have plans to develop these resources on the moon as well as establish a military presence there (think huge missile platform 240,000 miles from earth).

Yeah, the Chinese spend all kinds of money building ghost cities too. Just because they're willing to do it doesn't mean we should do it too.

As to a missile platform, why would they set up a location for a missile base far enough away that we'd have days to launch a retaliatory strike before their missiles got here? It doesn't make any sense.