China Wants Manned Moon Base(least we have forgotten or missed this news)

News Max ^ | Thursday, May 23, 2002 | Patrick Goodenough

[greeneyes]

........."China is expected to complete its first exploration of the moon in 2010, and will establish a base on the moon as we did in the South Pole and the North Pole," said the program's chief scientist, Ouyang Ziyuan, according to the official People's Daily.

'For the Benefit of Humanity'

Beijing Morning Post quoted him as elaborating that the base would be used to "mine [the moon's] riches for the benefit of humanity."

[Smokin' Joe]

All we have to do from the moon is throw well timed rocks....

That works on a shoestring R&D budget.

[no-to-illegals]

He who controls the high ground controls the battlefield.

My apology gleeaikin for not returning your pings. Very busy, as of late, and it is not looking good for a period of relaxation anytime soon. Wanted to agree ... He who controls the high ground controls the battlefield. or disagree slightly ... by saying ... The high ground can be won if one employs the correct tactics.

[Alberta's Child]

I disagree with you completely. When the first European settlers set foot in North America, everything they needed to sustain themselves was readily available: fresh air, wildlife, arable land, etc. The first item in that list is the most important. They were not moving into a place where an artificial environment had to be created in order to perform even basic human functions like breathing.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks gleeaikin.

[Wonder Warthog]

"I disagree with you completely. When the first European settlers set foot in North America, everything they needed to sustain themselves was readily available: fresh air, wildlife, arable land, etc. The first item in that list is the most important. They were not moving into a place where an artificial environment had to be created in order to perform even basic human functions like breathing."

In comparison the the knowledge and capabilities needed to exploit the available resources, the first European settlers were MUCH WORSE OFF than postulated future settlers on Luna. Hence the fact that so many of them starved to death in the early years. All that is needed for a lunar colony is energy, water, and "know-how". The rest can be extracted from available resources.

[GraceG]

[ Not to mention the EPA—no wetlands regulations! ]

I was at a convention once and they talked about moon mining and some whacko environut started whining about how strip mining the moon would ruin the “pristine environment”.....

So they will still be there....

[GraceG]

The biggest thing limiting the colonization of space by private interests is the vaugness of space property rights because of dumb idiotic “feel good” measures put in place by the U.N. over the last 50 years.

I say if you can maintain a permanent base on the moon with an ever increasing population you can claim the land around the base within a 100km radius or something like that.

Rather than the feel good crap that “the moon belongs to no one” shit that has been fed to us by the UN.

[Wonder Warthog]

"The biggest thing limiting the colonization of space by private interests is the vaugness of space property rights because of dumb idiotic “feel good” measures put in place by the U.N. over the last 50 years.

The UN is a joke. "How" are they going to enforce? This is not to say that the "legal" limitations should be eliminated.