Posted on 08/31/2007 3:09:55 PM PDT by blam
Russia enters 'space race' to build moon base
By Graeme Baker
Last Updated: 5:57pm BST 31/08/2007
Russia has revived another Cold War rivalry by entering a new “space race” with America to build a permanent base on the Moon.
The moon from Moscow's Novodevichy Monastery
Anatoly Perminov, the head of the space agency Roskosmos, said Russia would organise a manned lunar mission by 2025 and would be ready to build an “inhabited station” between 2027 and 2032.
From there, cosmonauts could strike out on a long-planned mission to Mars as early as 2035. “According to our estimates we will be ready for a manned flight to the Moon in 2025,” said Mr Perminov, adding that Mars remained a long-term ambition for Russia.
Mr Perminov also said that Roskmosmos intended to complete its section of the International Space Station by 2015 so that the ISS “becomes a fully-fledged space research centre”, while “major modernisation” of its Soyuz spacecraft would also be completed.
President George W. Bush in 2004 outlined plans for America, which landed the first men on the moon in 1968, to return by 2020 and use the mission as a stepping stone to Mars.
A new spacecraft design and manned lunar base modules formed part of the plan.
Launching a Mars mission from the Moon would remove the biggest cost factor of space travel – breaking out of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Russia’s announcement comes as it attempts to revive Cold War prestige on the back of a buoyant economy fueled by booming energy prices.
Among its aims is to secure its claim to Arctic territory - and the natural resources found beneath the sea bed.
This month, President Vladimir Putin revived Russian daily long-range bomber patrols near Nato airspace, in part to respond to American plans to build a missile defence shield in the former Soviet territories of the Czech Republic and Poland.
Mr Putin had previously said that Russia could once again point nuclear missiles at European cities to counter the shield’s strategic threat, and “suspended” its adherence to a treaty limiting the deployment of military forces on European soil.
Russia is already organising a simulated manned mission to Mars, by placing six volunteers in a sealed capsule on Earth for up to two years to study the effects.
The European Space Agency has expressed an interest in contributing to the project, including research and financial support.
However, Mr Perminov admitted that many difficulties linked to the a real Mars expedition remained unresolved, not least designing and building appropriate equipment.
“Current spacecraft do not provide the protection needed for the crew to survive and return to Earth,” he said.
Uranus goes to the Klingons of course.
heh heh..I just love when the Russkies pour more money into nonsense like this, rather than building their country into a major power.
Dragnet, I agree with you 100%. I’ve thought the same as you for years. What a waste, we gave away our lead and if the Russians do this it’ll hurt us militarily. All we’ve got to show for getting to the moon first when we did is three trillion in welfare programs and a fleet of used up shuttles. If we would have stayed on track could you imagine what we could have achieved for mankind?
Don't worry, let them eat moon dust. It won't affect us militarily in the least. We can dispatch any Lunar target without having a Lunar base ourselves.
It's a shame when I think of the discoveries, and research...We could have put a lunar based observatory at the site, developed solar power on the surface etc etc. We accomplished so little with so much effort.
But first, Russia plans to reintegrate the former SSRs, sell boatloads of arms to various Latin American dictators, sell nukes and missiles to Iran, oppose the US everywhere in the world...
Yeah...but lately, it seems as if someone rolled over and punched the snooze button.
Freelife plans to build moon base by 2025. LOL
Aggressive? Kennedy announced in the early 1960s and we did it by 1969. They announce in 2007 and plan to do it by 2025 and ABC News calls it "aggressive". LOL! Perhaps it is aggressive for them.
but Jupiter represents most of the free mass of the solar system, and I own it
He3 is going to be very big someday
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