Europe's 1st lunar mission reaches moon

Yahoo & AP ^ | September 2, 2006

[Lunatic Fringe]

DARMSTADT, Germany (AP) First European spacecraft to moon makes planned crash landing on lunar surface.

[dfwgator]

Aren't they about 37 years too late?

[RightWhale]

There are some negative comments

Seems to be part of the science environment around here. Looking on the bright side it is at least interest if not understanding.

[RightWhale]

$140 million

An advantage of ion propulsion. It's not fast, but it goes pretty far.

[NicknamedBob]

We need to design a score or so or these to explore the Kuiper Belt. With base-line interferometry and phased array radar feeding into a shared system of computer memory, they could do a survey of that vast area as autonomous robots.

Multi-spectral photography for large interesting bodies would build a database of places we could explore or exploit later on.

[RightWhale]

I would sign off on that plan immediately. These little, inexpensive scientific spacecraft should have been flying everywhere in the solar system years ago.

[Gondring]

Stop confusing the thread with facts. ;-)

[Gondring]

An advantage of ion propulsion. It's not fast, but it goes pretty far.

'zactly! When we do something, it's good idea, but when the Euros do it, FReepers laugh?!

[RightWhale]

This was not the first ion motor to fly. The earlier ones went out to comets and asteroids. I haven't been keeping count bacause this will soon enough become the dominant motor for unmanned solar system exploration.

[FreedomPoster]

The entire Old Media is pretty misleading, on average.

Why would you expect this piece to be any different?

[TNdandelion]

That's what I thought. Do they have Velcro, yet?

[AdmSmith]

MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Russia plans to conduct its first manned flight around the Moon in 2011-2012, the president of a leading spacecraft company said Thursday.

"The Energia Rocket and Space Corporation plans to explore the Moon in three stages: a Soyuz spacecraft flight to the Moon, the construction of a permanent base on the Moon (from 2010 to 2025), and the industrial exploration of space around the Earth's satellite," Nikolai Sevastyanov said at the 5th Airspace Congress in the Russian capital.

He said the main goals of the lunar exploration would be to conduct astrophysical research from its surface, to transfer environmentally unfriendly industries from the Earth to the Moon, and to extract raw materials, including helium-3, to meet increasing energy demand on the Earth.

Helium-3 is a rare earth metal, which is abundant on the Moon, and is used in nuclear power reactors as well as being a conductor. It is also used in microchip and related technologies.

Russia is planning to use a modernized version of the Soyuz manned spacecraft, the workforce of the Russian space fleet, for the flights to the Moon, Sevastyanov said, adding that the first spacecraft would be ready in 2010.

The United States is the only country to have put astronauts on the Moon. Neil Armstrong was memorably the first in 1969 and five other missions followed him until the lunar program was wrapped up in 1972.

"Energia has started the development of a modernized Soyuz spacecraft," Sevastyanov said.

"New digital technologies will be used during the development and operation of the new spacecraft," he said. "Besides, the new space vehicle will be able to conduct flights not only to the International Space Station, but also to the Moon."

Sevastyanov said the Russian Space Agency and the European Space Agency had already expressed their support for the project and the first modernized Soyuz would be launched in 2010.

The Energia president said the launches would be conducted both from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan and from the Kourou launch site in the French Guiana.

Sevastyanov also said the first flight to Mars would be conducted after 2025. The expedition will use the Russian-made Clipper shuttle with a four-man crew and will last two-and-a-half years, he said.


http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060831/53358620.html

[RightWhale]

He-3 is a total scam. Nevertheless, industrial development of the moon is possible even if not economical in the foreseeable centuries to come.

[MarkL]

I've always wished that someone had named one of the lunar landers "Alice."

Mark

[MarkL]

Viruses or bacteria could cause a wildfire explosion of new life and destabilize the existing balance of chemicals. Kinda like throwing ants in a sugar jar.

I was about to make a smartass statement, but then I remember reading once that the botulin bacteria can live in a vaccuum. Or at least an environment devoid of oxygen. Am I mistaken?

Mark

[Fletch357]

sorry to burst your bubble, but the technology used for the US Lunar missions was European (Nazi infact) and velcro was invented by a French/Swiss...........

[RasterMaster]

"They planned the crash and figured out a way to get some good data."

Yea, like how to build spacecraft with CRUMPLE ZONES?

[ExSoldier]

Lunacy...sheer lunacy.

[Jeff Head]

Exactly. We did the same thing on the moon and mars before we attempted soft landings. Good data can be obtained by just getting the senors close and recording and transmitting up until impact.

[RadioAstronomer]

Welcome the the Ranger series.

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Damn, I thought that Russian spacecraft had made it to the moon. Must have been faked.