Posted on 11/09/2015 9:05:27 AM PST by Marcus
The aerospace newspaper Space News recounted an exchange that took place at the International Astronautical Conference in Jerusalem, Israel recently that proved to be cringe-worthy for observers of space policy. During a panel discussion at the conference, European Space Agency’s new director-general, Johann-Dietrich Woerner presented an idea he has been touting for some time called a “moon village.†The idea is that various countries would come together to establish a lunar base, each bringing in “their special ideas, their special competence.†The moon village would be a center of science and commerce, developing techniques for resource management and testing technology designed for deep space exploration, including to Mars.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
Because we actually still have some pretty cool toys.
Stupidity starts at the top and dribbles down. Obama says “no” to the moon, so his NASA puppet morons have to agree.
Because we are good at throwing money down the toilet. This is the last thing we need to be doing. Let’s take the money that we will waste and put it towards the debt? I know it is an old fashioned concept of paying the debt before doing stupid things like this but if we want to save our country this is who we have to do it.
The debt, better funding for vets' health care AND a border wall.
Just remember the computer you’re in front of would be at least 20 years away without the space program. Not to mention the fact that it is inevitable that someway somehow we’re going to lose the rock and if we don’t have a sustainable subsection of humanity elsewhere everything else we did doesn’t matter. It’s not a waste, it’s survival. There’s plenty of other stupid programs to cut, this one needs a massive increase, space is what matters.
The moon village will the context underwhich the UN is giving taxing power and you will be branded a technophobe flat earther if you are against it.
With all the Muslims invading Europistan, NASA would be more at home...
Space exploration indeed had a role and we’ve reaped the rewards in terms of technology, but advances are continuing to be made.
If we as a country weren’t teetering on implosion, had our fiscal matters in order, secured our borders and adequately funded and manned our military, perhaps we could pursue ventures like moon villages. But currently we have more pressing priorities.
Serious Question: Would it be at all possible to generate an atmosphere there?
I know there are plenty of raw materials
You have to have it underground if not.
And the mole creatures who already live there might now like it
well there's no global warming or sea levels that can rise there, no carbon credits to be traded, no blacks to stir up, etc...Establishing a colony there wouldn't give him anything to control so no interest...
I suspect NASA funding has always been part of the “black” fund...
If we’re not pursuing ventures on the moon and beyond then none of the rest matter. There is no pressing priority higher than survival. Here try out this sentence:
“Finally in 2120 we got our house in order and solved the [your pet issue here] problem, then the asteroid hit”.
If we don’t get off the rock we’re just re-arranging the deck chairs. It is inevitable that something bad will happen and we will no longer be able to live here. Asteroids, solar storms, poll reversals, ice ages, the sun just plain turning off; all of these WILL happen eventually, maybe sooner, maybe later, but the question is entirely when not if. There is an expiration date, we can either find a way to survive it, or try to take comfort that at least we lowered the national debt before it all ended.
Too late.
We lose the moon on October 5, 2017.
See “The Aftermath” section of the article at http://october-5-2017.com
A colony would mean total control of the moon, in effect. But perhaps his lack of interest has to do with Islamic moon veneration?
That all sounds great and your argument has merit, but the debt isn’t the only issue. This country is currently becoming occupied by foreign invader, the terrorism threat grows daily, and its present political trajectory is one toward fragmentation and national obliteration. That should be a far more urgent concern than the infinitesimally minute chance of being struck by an asteroid.
Like you said.. nothing is a higher priority than survival.. and rolling the dice on a moon village venture for a tiny, UN-chosen part of the world’s population belongs in the realm of fantasy.
And again, what does it matter if we solve those problems just to go extinct. It is NOT an infinitesimally minute chance of being struck by an asteroid, is an INEVITABILITY. It has happened multiple times before, it WILL happen again. The only question is does the asteroid hit before or after the next ice age (which is actually the norm for the planet)? Before or after the next polar reversal (which happen every couple million years)? Before or after the next atmosphere destroying solar storm (again, happens fairly often on the cosmic scale)? Before or after the sun runs out of juice (happens to all of them eventually)?
If we solve every single problem we face EXCEPT getting off the rock we didn’t solve anything.
OK.. Let’s say we commit all those resources to establishing a minuscule little village on the moon for a small sampling of the population. What is the point of establishing that when 99.999% of the earth’s population will remain on here, facing — as you say — extinction?
Sorry... priorities. Let’s tend to the problems we have here.
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