48 years ago today... and we still haven't gone back

[K'Tesh]

It's been 48 years since Neil and Buzz walked on the moon, and after the last mission in 1972, nobody has stepped foot there again.

That is totally F***** up.

 

[MALBAR 70]

I mentioned this to a 23 year old guy I work with, he said , and I quote " What about the Space Shuttle? They went to the moon, right?"
He was amazed when I told him how high the Shuttle actually flew in relation to the moon.

 

[Zeus-cat]

Going back to the moon just to go back is pointless... and darned expensive in my opinion. We should have a plan for manned exploration.

 

[ttabbal]

The moon could be useful as a manufacturing base and a launch point for Mars etc.. But it takes a lot of money to build up something like that, and there just doesn't seem to be enough desire for it among most people.

If we had a cheaper, more efficient way out of Earth's gravity well, maybe.

 

[Mushtang]

I mentioned this to a 23 year old guy I work with, he said , and I quote " What about the Space Shuttle? They went to the moon, right?"
He was amazed when I told him how high the Shuttle actually flew in relation to the moon.

I saw a Reddit post where someone was talking about the landing and Mike Collins and said, "Did he ever step on the moon, or just stay in the shuttle?"

 

[Cabernut]

Musk said something about wanting to establish a Moon base.

First step is for the general public to be properly educated about history.

Second, inspiration is needed. Perhaps a bold, successful mission to at least orbit the Moon, which is being planned already. Maybe live-stream a broadcast from Lunar orbit(2-second delay and all). That would help inspire new engineers as well as public support for an adequate budget. An intelligent way of building public support would be to leverage people's other concerns into support for space. If they're concerned about global warming or overpopulation, sell them on expanding into space as the ultimate solution. This is what Musk is doing. Biomedical research could be done on the Moon that would be too dangerous to be done here. Cures for many diseases could be found. You could also sell the idea of Moon development as essential for security to the more hawkish, so no matter what you're views or concerns, space is an essential investment. "Sell" it.

Third, corporate interest(and sponsorship) could be generated by offering limited mining claims to be allowed. You pay for the rocket, you claim the rewards. Meanwhile, spacefaring technology benefits as a whole. A rising tide floats all boats.

 

[thequick]

Moon landing was 9 months before my birth... TMI?

 

[Sooner Boomer]

48 years and "we" haven't been back. Not just "we" (America); NOBODY has been there since. Of yeah, the Chinese sent a rover, and the Japanese sent an orbital mapper, but no humans from Earth have set foot there.

The unasked question is, with the pressure from the cold war removed, why should we go back?

 

[Mushtang]

The unasked question is, with the pressure from the cold war removed, why should we go back?

Same reason someone climbed Everest, same reason someone explored caves where they unexpectedly found markings on the walls, same reason why someone rode tiny submarines miles below the ocean surface and unexpectedly found life near heat vents, same reason humans have always looked in unknown places... because it's there and we want to experience it.

And maybe cheese.

 

[cerving]

I mentioned it to my 24 y/o son yesterday, and he said that we didn't really go there, that it was all faked because he saw it on Netflix. The Internet generation will believe anything they see online...

 

[georgegassaway]

Moon = Been there, done that.

Mars, in the 1970's we were supposed to be 10 year away from landing a crew there.

Then 15 years away.

Then 20 years away.

Not enough public interest (or public competency as the case may be).

And no, a "moon base" for Mars just ends up as yet another reason not to go to Mars. Because of the incredible expense and frankly add 20 more years to getting to Mars due to that distraction if the goal is to GO TO MARS. Apollo did not create a Space Station in Earth orbit as a "base" for going to the moon. They built what they needed to do the job and WENT.

 

[MaxQ]

LOL..............................

[video=youtube;mrGFEW2Hb2g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrGFEW2Hb2g[/video]
- Language warning.