Hope this doesnt mean that any moon/mars plans are scrapped completely..

[Angilion]

Because it would be considerably easier to launch deeper space missions from a Moon location than it would from Earth.

That's fine if you're planning deep space missions. A permanent moon base would be expensive right now as well as inherently dangerous.

As for mining the moon, that's all very well if you have a cheap and reliable way of getting the mined material to Earth. Which we don't. The only thing that might be worth mining is Helium-3, which is still extremely rare on the moon. Not as rare as on Earth, but still extremely rare. You'd need mining on a massive scale, processing billions of tonnes of moon rock per year, to provide the fuel for helium-3 nuclear fusion power plants...which don't exist anyway.

 

[Nitefly]

Since there is no necessity to reach other planets in the foreseeable future, I think its safe to say there are more immediate concerns that governments should be concerned about such as further research into climate change and renewable energy.

 

[Tombstone]

That's fine if you're planning deep space missions. A permanent moon base would be expensive right now as well as inherently dangerous.

It would be expensive, but if we are going to keep putting off space travel decade after decade until we get some magical time when the price is right, then we'll never get off this rock.

 

[PardonTheWait]

Im sure the next footprint on the moons surface, will be made in china.

My bet's on it happening somewhere on the moon, personally, but you go with what you feel.

 

[Pixel]

I for one welcome commercialisation of the space industry.

http://www.virgingalactic.com/

 

[scorza]

I'm sure most Americans would prefer to have better access to healthcare than establish an enourmous white elephant on the moon.

 

[Nate--IRL--]

Maybe its a Captain Kirk style pause...

The cancellation of the US constellation program <pause> confirms it <pause> Mister !

That's it. Appropriately spacey don't you think

Nate

 

[Tombstone]

I'm sure most Americans would prefer to have better access to healthcare than establish an enourmous white elephant on the moon.

What about if it was an enormous white elephant which sent rays of health back ?

 

[Angilion]

It would be expensive, but if we are going to keep putting off space travel decade after decade until we get some magical time when the price is right, then we'll never get off this rock.

So we could, at great expense, put maybe half a dozen people on a very nearby rock where they will need constant support from Earth and will die if anything goes wrong.

Not a good use of money. I'd rather it was spent on probes and on research that might make it practical to establish bases on other planets or which might lead to reliable and sustainable power supply on Earth.

 

[Tombstone]

So we could, at great expense, put maybe half a dozen people on a very nearby rock where they will need constant support from Earth and will die if anything goes wrong.

*shrug* Well exploration and colonisation has to start somewhere.

I'd rather it was spent on probes and on research that might make it practical to establish bases on other planets

It'll be much easier to form those bases on other planets if the Moon was used as a stepping stone though, rather than trying to fire it off from Earth.

Just my opinion on the matter though, would be a boring world if we all agreed on everything (but at least we'd have people on the moon )

 

[platypus]

I'm sure most Americans would prefer to have better access to healthcare than establish an enourmous white elephant on the moon.

Most? Are you sure about that? Given the widespread opposition to the welfare reform bill.

 

[scorza]

Most? Are you sure about that? Given the widespread opposition to the welfare reform bill.

It was the centre-piece of Obama's presidential election campaign. I guess they've found out how much it's going to cost them now - Americans /facepalm

To be fair, at least some of opposition is due to the half-hearted attempts to implement better healthcare access e.g. forcing people who can't currently afford to buy insurance ... to buy insurance

 

[hood1971]

The days of western governments spending huges amounts of any type of research is ending I fear.

 

[Westie]

Also the sort of technologies that were developed for the previous moon missions are still proving incredibly useful today, and new technologies devloped for any future missions will almost certainly prove useful for us as well.
Things like recycling systems - if you're on a long mission to the moon/on the moon it'll prove incredibly expensive to take up all the water etc you'll need, so if they work on better filtration/recycling systems for up there, they'll be useful down here as well, then there are the likely advances in computing/instrunmentation, and batteries etc.

I would hope even if NASA loses funding for near future manned space missions, other countries (and maybe even some commercial enterprises*) might continue.

It's almost unbelievable that 40 years after the first moon landing, we have basically not advanced our manned space technology much (and are actually basically going backwards in regards to the craft we're using compared to 20 years ago).


*Google Space

its because aliens havent visited us for ages because they realised the human species suck and we cant use their technology anymore to advance more into space!

this isnt exactly true!

 

[Cosimo]

Hot off the press:

Highlights of NASA’s FY 2011 Budget

 Top line increase of $6.0 billion over 5-years (FY 2011-15) compared to the FY 2010 Budget, for a total of $100 billion over five years.

 Significant and sustained investments in:

◦ Transformative technology development and flagship technology demonstrations to pursue new approaches to space exploration;

◦ Robotic precursor missions to multiple destinations in the solar system;

◦ Research and development on heavy-lift and propulsion technologies;

◦ U.S. commercial spaceflight capabilities;

◦ Future launch capabilities, including work on modernizing Kennedy Space Center after the retirement of the Shuttle;

◦ Extension and increased utilization of the International Space Station;

◦ Cross-cutting technology development aimed at improving NASA, other government, and commercial space capabilities;

◦ Accelerating the next wave of Climate change research and observations spacecraft;

◦ NextGen and green aviation; and

◦ Education, including focus on STEM.

 Cancellation of the Constellation program; and $600 million in FY 2011 to ensure the safe retirement of the Space Shuttle upon completion of the current manifest.

Source and all details can be found here:

http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html

 

[Radiation]

I wonder if we're not getting to the peak of human civilisation and technological advancement and it's not much of a peak when you consider the possibilities, i think theres some time left but short of any decent advancements and drive to improve the human condition i see us going into decline in the near future, if governments and business can't act in humanity's best interest, using the resource's we have to move forward in better ways than now, what chance is there?

We either progress or stagnate and die, its that simple, we have the choice but it seems like governments and business are holding us back, wasting billions on pointless stuff, war, etc and only looking at short term gains while neglecting the huge gains that will come from stuff like this, oh well, i suppose we're ok right now, i doubt many care about future generations, no, they will be the ones fighting over resources and space with the weapons of war we've wasted so much on right here and now, pathetic!

 

[Glaucus]

what a douchbag.

no way for nasa to get to ISS, no way of going to the moon. Space missions should expanded and more money put into them. Not bloody cancelled.

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Space missions are a complete waste of time. The only advantage would be to go to other planets (not in this solar system) that contain elements which are medically usefull to us so we can mine them.

What good is sending man to the moon again, and what is man going to do on mars other than play golf? What is the point? The money spent on that program already $9Bn wasn't it? That money would have been better spent on stem cell research or the like.

 

[Glaucus]

Space missions are a complete waste of time. The only advantage would be to go to other planets (not in this solar system) that contain elements which are medically usefull to us so we can mine them.

What good is sending man to the moon again, and what is man going to do on mars other than play golf? What is the point? The money spent on that program already $9Bn wasn't it? That money would have been better spent on stem cell research or the like.

A) there are loads of minerals and resources in are own solar system. So we do not need to go to other solar systems yet
B) Moon has He3 on
C) moon is a test platform for landing on mars
D) mars again has resources on and is inhabitable and can be colonised.
e) loads of useful technology comes out of space missions.

 

[SourChipmunk]

Instead, Nasa will operate low-earth orbits as the space agency aims to eventually lead a manned programme to Mars.

Works for me. We have no need to go back to the moon. Leave that for the Chinese -- they already have their moon base there on the back side where we can't see it anyway. Mars is the only way to go now!