NASA to unveil plan for moon mission in 2018 (Been There. Done That.)

MSNBC.COM ^ | 9/15/05 | space.com

[Airborne1986]

WASHINGTON - NASA briefed senior White House officials Wednesday on its plan to spend $100 billion and the next 12 years building the spacecraft and rockets it needs to put humans back on the Moon by 2018.

The U.S. space agency now expects to roll out its lunar exploration plan to key Congressional committees on Friday and to the broader public through a news conference on Monday, Washington sources tell SPACE.com.

U.S. President George W. Bush called in January 2004 for the United States to return to the Moon by 2020 as the first major step in a broader space exploration vision aimed at extending the human presence throughout the solar system.

[NCC-1701]

Beautiful bird, isn't(wasn't)it?

[Airborne1986]

"That's 0.167% of a $5tril budget."

Still too much - both the numerator and the denominator.

[The_Victor]

$8 billion here. $8 billion there. Pretty soon you're talkin' 'bout serious money.

Just trying to provide some perspective. Didn't "we" just authorize $50 bil in hurricane relief?

[Redcitizen]

...back on the Moon by 2018.

Umm I hate to be the bearer of bad news but we should have been at Saturn four years ago. There is a black monolith there that needs to be discovered. And the other milestone is 2010. We haven't got HAL and a space station yet.

[rightinthemiddle]

Hmmm...did I count my zeros correctly? Perhaps I should go to work for NASA.

[unixfox]

How bout exploring for oil, right here?

Better yet, how bout developing new energy sources?

I guess that hasn't crossed their minds yet.

[rightinthemiddle]

I saw something on Discovery, History or TLC (whatever) that there's one being restored thats been sitting outside. Rusting away. Unfortunately, just storing it in a horizontal position put so much stress on it, it falls apart under its own weight.

[Airborne1986]

"We've also flown a plane nonstop across the Atlantic before. Should we stop doing that too?"

I guess the difference is that there are people to see (if you really want to, I guess), things to do, and money to be made on the other side of the Atlantic. Also, we need to go in that general direction (and then some) to kill the islamofacists - an endeavor which is more worthy of our time and treasure.

[Sloth]

Great. So, in another 14 years we can be as advanced as were 50 years before.

[Names Ash Housewares]

It is not been there done that. 4 astronauts will land together, they will stay for a week. They will be able to land on the far side and the polls, they will learn how to "live off the land". Extracting water and oxygen. Learning how to do these things paves the way for Mars. Exploration is essential to our nature. Without it, none of us would be here. Too much money?..........see where our money goes........

[Names Ash Housewares]

polls=poles

[Airborne1986]

"Just give me a tax cut."

Call me easy to please but a tax cut and a dead Osama and I will be quite content. The "wonder of exploration" is neat. But, in reality, only a few people (including the occasional tag-along Saudi prince and former Senator)actually get to explore and the rest of us get to watch on TV. That being the case, I am more than happy with unmanned vehicles. The view is just as good from my seat.

[The SISU kid]

Yeah, but think if it like this.......at least the wing nuts who claim the original moon landings were nothing but a big hoax will be proven wrong once and for all. I actually know people who think this is true, that NASA faked the whole thing.

Ping......

8^)

[Airborne1986]

"I actually know people who think this is true, that NASA faked the whole thing."

I am still on the fence. First I need to work out the Roswell incident.

[TBall]

There are some breaking rumors right now about OBL being dead.

[Peace will be here soon]

"Shades of Heinlein."


With that comment, I don`t know if I should be insulted or thank you.

[ericthecurdog]

I once found a stuned beeber on my moom plain.

[billbears]

No unfortunately it will happen. At ten times the original cost and 15 years later than expected. Of course what else can one expect when you have the government doing the exploration? Turn this over to the free market. If you must, allow the government to offer a couple billion in prize money, although I wouldn't even do that. Disband NASA immediately.

[The_Victor]

That being the case, I am more than happy with unmanned vehicles. The view is just as good from my seat.

If we're not eventually going to send people, then the unmanned probes are purely academic, cool but pointless.

[narby]

JFK challenged us to go to the moon sometime around 1962, and within 8 years we were there.

Now we can't even schedule the trip for 13 years, and I doubt we'll keep that time table. Reagan wanted a space station by 1990, and we didn't do that till, when? 2000? Despite the fact that we had already done that around 1975 with Skylab.

NASA is hopeless.