Next men on the moon

[ElPelado]

We all read(I think) that NASA is thinking about the possibility of going back to the moon right? And also the president talked about that.

My question is: which ship will they use?? Something like the Apollo? Something "newer"? Re-usable or no?
Does anybody know?
Another question: when will it be?

[selden]

Nobody knows yet.
It would be a whole new project with all new designs, if it actually happens.

So far it's just political posturing.
A lot of people don't expect it'll get off the ground.
It would cost an absurd amount of money that many people think would be better spent on projects with real scientific goals instead of political ones.

[TERRIER]

If I was a betting man, then I'd have a small wager on the next man on the moon being Chinese!

Anybody want to set up a 'book'!?

[maxim]

It would be no easy thing. They would have to do everything from the scratch. As I've read, nobody knows at present how to actually put a man on the moon. When they stopped the Apollo program, no new engineers were trained, the old one are off for a long time, and all the plans the still have are somewhat obsolete, because there where LOT's of changes and adaptions made on-the-fly - which where not well documented and got lost with the old engineers leaving.
So it would be like a complete new build of the Apollo program, or like the complete redevelopement of the Shuttle program - really, really, really expensive, and taking quite some time.

maxim

[lostfisherman]

I think a manned Lunar mission is many decades away, if you'll forgive my pessimism. There just isn't the pioneering spirit or the political will that the Apollo missions had (or perhaps the luck). Sending people into basic orbit around the Earth is as risky as it was 40 years ago, despite the technological improvements. Could anyone imagine the Apollo 8 mission happening today?

Space exploration is a tough, uncompromising venture, and it is a marvel to me that so many of the unmanned probes succeed in their missions. Manning them is to much, at least at this time.


This is not entirely related, some of this article might make you cringe (if you are a Brit anyway), but the design, intricacies and risk of space travel are pretty well described here.

Sunday Times Beagle 2 article
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0, ... 69,00.html

Maybe I'll cheer up after some sleep

[TERRIER]

lostfisherman

I think a manned Lunar mission is many decades away, if you'll forgive my pessimism.

Pessimism or realiism, call it what you want. Even the Chinese are not confident they'll get a man there before 2030.

regards
TERRIER

[bh]

Did you hear about the pub there?...no atmosphere (and ESB).

Regards..bh.

[Guest]

*GROAN*
bh, have you been pulling your Christmas Crackers a few days early!?

[TERRIER]

*GROAN*
bh, have you been pulling your Christmas Crackers a few days early!?

That was me, I thought I was logged in

[Tech Sgt. Chen]

Looks like we all can appreciate just how amazing it was that a man on the moon was accomplished in the 60's! I've heard, don't remember where, that since the US has already sent a man to the moon, Bush just may surprise everyone with a proposed manned mission to mars. Difficult indeed! Getting a man, or any craft for that matter, to another planetary body is one challenge, landing it successfully on the surface is an entirely different ballgame! There are skeptics, in the US astronomical circle, who doubt that Beagle will land as early as reported (I think it was Dec. 23rd.) due to the intricacies involved with such a landing. Only time will tell if the Mars speculations are true.

[TERRIER]

I've just got back from work. Am I hearing talk from Mr Bush about sending men to the moon around the year 2015!?