Guest JMT Posted December 4 Report Share Posted December 4 NASA planning permanent outpost on the moon by 2024Associated Press Posted December 4 2006, 4:12 PM EST WASHINGTON -- NASA announced Monday it will establish an international base camp on one of the moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after astronauts return to the moon.It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space shuttles are retired in 2010.After consulting more than 1,000 experts from 14 different countries, NASA decided on what deputy NASA chief Shana Dale called a "fundamental lunar approach" that is sharply different from its previous moon missions in nearly everything but the shape of the ship going there.NASA chose a "lunar outpost" over the short expeditions of the '60s. Apollo flights were all around the center of the moon, but NASA decided to go to the moon's poles because they are best for longer-term settlements. And this time NASA is welcoming other nations on its journey.The more likely of the two lunar destinations is the moon's south pole because it's sunlit for three-quarters of the time, making solar power easier, and has possible resources to mine in dark areas nearby, said associate deputy administrator Doug Cooke.To get to the moon, NASA envisions an all-purpose lunar lander that could touch down anywhere and can be the first part of a base camp, said exploration chief Scott Horowitz."The nickname I use for the lander is, it's a pickup truck," Horowitz said in a Monday news conference from Houston. "You can put whatever you want in the back. You can take it to wherever you want. So you can deliver cargo, crew, do it robotically, do it with humans on board. These are the types of things we're looking for in this system."In the wake of the space shuttle Columbia accident, President Bush announced in 2004 a plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. His plan would take 16 years, twice as long as NASA's first trip to the moon took in planning. NASA has refused to estimate a price tag for the project.http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-124moonoutpost,0,7381923.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tres-b Posted December 4 Report Share Posted December 4 As cool as this sounds, it is a huge waste of money(like most things NASA is involved in)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest swirlundergrounder Posted December 4 Report Share Posted December 4 As cool as this sounds, it is a huge waste of money(like most things NASA is involved in)...It's about go dam time we get back to the moon. No one has been there in over 27 years. I disagree that this is a waste of money. It could actually save money in the long run to have a lunar base that we can launch missions to the rest of the solar system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan2772 Posted December 4 Report Share Posted December 4 i bet they thought christopher columbus was a huge waste of money. my only question is will it have a laser? cause it NEEDS a laser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.