To Respond to Chang'e 3 NASA Should Show RESOLVE

Yahoo Voices ^ | December 3, 2013 | Mark R. Whittington

[Marcus]

As the Chinese lunar lander Chang'e 3, carrying the Jade Rabbit rover, voyages to the moon, the question arises what should NASA's response be, aside from congratulations to a rival space power. RESOLVE might just fit the bill.

RESOLVE or Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction is designed to prospect for lunar resources mounted on a rover. "RESOLVE includes a drill, a chemical plant (with an oxygen and volatiles extraction node, gas chromatograph, and mass spectrometer), a neutron spectrometer, and a near infrared spectrometer." It has been tested on Earth as part of a joint American/Canadian project for the past couple of years.

[Diogenesis]

[Mmogamer]

And why NASA is wasting time on that, the chinese will have the beginnings of a base started.

[cripplecreek]

Ceding the high ground is all we’re doing.

[Regulator]

1. Build a rocket (LOx / Kerosene will do fine)

2. Test it a bunch (boring, but not hard)

3. Fly it (practice makes perfect)

4. Bolt a tin can to the top of it and pressurize it so the humans don't die (but don't make it do anything else except that)

5. Head for the moon (Just Do It)

6. Make sure to take a tent and some food, it's cold

Caveat: DO NOT become involved with NASA Systems Engineering process because this will be like being stuck in a tar pit. NOTHING will ever get done, the meetings will stretch out forever, and then Congress will pull the plug.

Hint: Musk is pretty much done with steps 1 thru 4. I can safely tell you he's hot on the trail of 5 and 6.

[Regulator]

Uh-Yup