😆
What worries many is the armed CCP satellites orbiting the Earth with the ability to take out our GPS and communications satellites. If one was up there giving off radiation, I would take it out as one that would drop a nuke.
THIS is why they are going . That water is not only useful for human occupation but split up into hydrogen and oxygen it can be used as rocket fuel to send missions to other parts of the Solar System to exploit. This makes the Lunar poles the most important real estate in the Solar System ( next to Earth, obviously) Eventually mining the Ice on Europa can provide all the water commerce will ever need but you have to get there first. Europa , a moon of Jupiter, has more water than Earth.
I worked for a major aerospace company over 25 years ago. I was part of the team preparing the annual long range plan . Most of the business plan concerned winning government contracts.
My part was the longer range plan on how we would grow in 20+years.
I told the room full of executives, “We have the capability to build capsules and spacecraft for missions spanning months as well as the launch vehicles and upper stages required.
Trips to and from some near Earth asteroids are possible in weeks. We can sell trips to those asteroids for companies, countries, and wealthy entrepreneurs to claim them. Later to mine them.
We can create a Land Rush to space as others decide they want to claim and mine the limited number of near Earth objects.
All of the miners seeking gold did not get rich, but the guys selling shovels and supplies did quite well. We can make money selling rides for a few billion each.”
They did not throw me out of the room. They understood that delta Vee to an asteroid is less than that required to land on Luna.
My plan was adopted.
IBTG
IBTS
Article:
“NASA has a firm deadline—2029”
They promise to extract their homework from the dog’s mouth by then.
Lol.