lunar outpost

NASA Constellation programme lunar outpost surface element using Altair lunar lander

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• Constellation
• programme
• lunar
• outpost
• surface
• element
• Altair
• lander

[JB9208]

@Gorilder But there is actually hope for a Lunar Outpost still. 2012 Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich has said that he would like to revive the idea so who knows, maybe it could go forward :)

[JB9208]

@Gorilder Every sane persons thoughts exactly! I still am truely ashamed that anyone would abandon such a brilliant vision for the future of space exploration. A lunar outpost was the modern version of Kennedys "man on the moon" vision. The one brilliant thing Bush actually did was have a true vision for space exploration and a passion. Obama has proved many times over that he has NO interest or desire to help NASA. Simply called a "Space Policy". That man is destroying space exploration.

[Gorilder]

when this got canceled my long held belife that the US government was a mojority of idiots got confirmed.. Yes we've been to the moon but do we have a colony... NO! The moon is relativly close to us so if anything went wrong we could fix it. then once we got colonization down to an art expand to mars and its moons, and so on and so forth... but no.. At least we still have Orion.. maybe there is hope

[SatoTM2]

@kerminator29 Id like to see a new spacestation in my lifetime. since the ISS is going out soon =( and an international moon station (instead of international space station) on the moon too... that would just be a step forward for humanity =) into space!

[kerminator29]

The problem is very close to what Thesterness said, I think. NASA decided to build the Ares 1 and Orion without thinking about what it really needs: a low(er)-cost system of getting to space. The Ares 1 had a snowball's chance in Hell of achieving that, considering it was to be built of Shuttle hardware and vertically assembled. NASA needs better management. I think that, however regrettable this may be, NASA should support the ISS until 2020, by which time SpaceX will secure space access.

[Thesterness]

@quantumG

You just described any government operation. It's the nature of the beast, so to speak. It's not unique to NASA. At least they have the excuse that building a space station is by its very nature more expensive than, say, building an aircraft carrier. The DoD, with their 20,000 dollar hammers, and the Department of Education with their "disappearing" millions of dollars can't say the same.

[quantumG]

@Thesterness by what metric? Americans spend more on hot dogs than on NASA. I think the reason why everything NASA does costs billions, not millions, is because they have no interest in how much it costs. There's no effort made to keep the price down because they think there's a bottomless pot of money.

[Thesterness]

@quantumG

Uh, because space flight is expensive?

[EUROSUN1]

Seems the Ares 1 will now also be scrapped. Sad thing. A moon colony will not be seen anytime soon.

[evil13rt]

Lunar soil is going to be hard on machinery and we need to learn a bit more before we devote entire payloads to bulldozers.

Really they could just build a one way lunar lander. Devoting the entire unmanned TLI payload to consumeables and inflatable living space.

Land next to it with a normal lunar lander and poof, you've got the basics of a base in two launches.

That lets us gain the early experience we need to pick a location and method for building a more expansive outpost.