Russia and NASA plan to COLONISE the Moon
Russian, American and European space agencies are in talks to create a human colony on the Moon, according to Russian news source Rianovosti. MOON_STATION Artist's impression of the Moon station from Nasa's Global Exploration Roadmap Russia wants to build either a space base on the surface of the Moon itself or a space …
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Fly the ISS to the Moon
NASA was on about bolting a big booster to the side of the ISS so that they could get it out of orbit and fly it to Mars, why not just drive it over to the Moon first?
I think it has something to do with withstanding the radiation further away from the earth's magnetic field.
Not just radiation, but...
Not only are there radiation environment issues, but also the fact that ISS wasn't built to handle the range of dynamic stresses* involved in accelerating out of Earth orbit and then decelerating into lunar orbit -- not to mention the constant reboosts and orbital correction manuvers once there owing to the oddly distributed "mascons" (mass concentrations) in the moon which make maintaining a stable orbit more difficult.
---
*To get an idea of what happens during an orbital reboost firing aboard ISS, check out NASA's YouTube channel and watch some of the video shot by bracket-mounted cameras inside the ship when the engines light...
"shakin' aalll-lll oooo-oooooverrr-rrrrrrr...!"
Conspiracy
"We don’t want the man to just step on the Moon,”
And what about the woman ?
@ShelLuser
Not to worry, I think the man has already walked all over the woman.
Women on the moon? About time...
... the place is thick with dust!
It's my Moon too
Shouldn't we all get a say in what happens up there? Visiting it is one thing, making plans for it is another entirely.
Don't Panic...
All the plans will be put on display at your local planning office in Alpha Centauri.
"All the plans will be put on display at your local planning office in Alpha Centauri"
...in a locked filing cabinet in a dark cellar with a sign on the door saying "beware of the leopard"
Who's going to be first...
...to dig up Tyco crater.
DAH DAHHHHHH
Boom-boom boom-boom boom-boom boom-boom.
And expose the large black monolith?
Dave Bowman: Hello, HAL. Do you read me, HAL?
HAL: Affirmative, Dave. I read you.
Dave Bowman: Open the pod bay doors, HAL, I really have to pee bad. Oh, boy.
HAL: Why didn't you bring a bottle, Dave?
HAL: Why didn't you bring a bottle, Dave?
Dave: because I didn't think I would be playing warcraft.
And the point is...
Really they should be a bit more specific of *why* they want to colonise the Moon.
All I can think of are either:
a) reasons of discovery e.g. manned telescopes, or
b) betterment of human existance which could be:
i) exploitation of resources (helium-3, wealth); or
ii) exploitation of environment (e.g. microgravity for therapies, development of medicine).
iii) waste management (bad idea)
It was fine to go to the Moon "because it is there" in the 70's but now it needs a revised mandate.
Penal colony anyone?
"Penal colony anyone?"
Use a nit comb and remember to wash all your bedding.
"Earth is too small a basket for mankind to keep all its eggs in." Robert A. Heinlein
Launching rockets from the Moon would be a whole lot easier, so it's a stepping-stone to Mars, which could actually be conceivably colonized.
Colonizing Mars is a good idea because, well, either we do that or we die. It's just a matter of time. That said, it's not exactly urgent - but then again, when I start saying that something isn't urgent, I always end up not doing it until it becomes urgent...
@ Brad Arnold
Kindly take your bullshit elsewhere. I am tired of reading it here.
A 'new' clean energy technology with over 2 decades of experiments behind it eh? I think you will find, that Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (Cold Fusion) only exists in the future, and then only to keep beers cold by Human Marine's fighting the Zerg :)
Unless someone finally manages to reproduce the claims of Fleischmann/Pons, in which case I'll be the first to embrace our new free no-need-to-meter engergy source :)
If you get a large number of snakes and put them in a huge press, the oil yielded makes a useful pollution-free rocket fuel too!
Optional
Wow, I thought, I've not seen that level of animosity here before towards another poster
But then I looked at the website...
Trespassers!
I have a certificate stating my claim to one square metre of the lunar surface, trespassers will be roughed up accordingly on return to earth.
GERROFF MA LAND!
And so it begins again
Damn English, boggarting the fertile moon lands and leaving the rest of us with only the inhospitable moon-moors...
So is the War on Galactic Terror called off?
The 19 trillion actual debt paid?
The 200 trillion uncovered welfare costs suddenly covered?
No?
Forget this shit.
and yet..
if only we would be willing to sacrifice several kinds of food... clothing, recreational travel, televisied entertainment, hygiene products, hot water and decorative but useless jewelry I'm sure this (I assume american) debt could be paid off in a mere few years? :)
It's not real money.
So why not forget about that unimportant shit?
What happens when the toilet breaks down?
It's bad enough getting a plumber in London...
Base, not colony
They seem to be talking about a lunar base, with personnel having short tours of duty. A colony would imply people living there permanently and having children there.
By the way, although we know that humans have long-term problems in 'zero' gravity, has any research been done on what's likely to happen long term in lunar or martian gravity?
Coolio!
Hey..... Newt is high on space, so maybe we can get past this current flopping about and get serious about going back to the land of green cheese.
Call it ISS - North, invite in all the ISS partners plus China and let's have a go!
Perhaps we should start with a colony of some smaller mamal and then
follow the meercats.
@Chris 68, I hope you were joking.
Like you have any control over what goes on on THIS rock!
congratulations. you made it through an entire article without saying boffins. pat yourselves on the back.
Re:
I very, very, very nearly put boffins the top line.
C.
Sooo a Russian says something and NASA (not the ESA) is in cahoots?
Wow, in the US, the editor would surely be challenged on the title. The title makes it sound like the Russians and Americans are off on some separate pursuit.
- There is no NASA corroboration
- The only real quote from the Russian put the ESA at-parity with the other two, but you would never know from the title
- NASA's official position is that the Moon isn't the next opportunity. HEO or Lagrange points have been placed FAR above building bases on the Moon.
- While we are at it, where is the ESA or Roscosmos corroboration?
... I suppose the discussion is good for conjecture...
Just wonderful.
"Man" has just about completely buggered up the Earth...now let's see how we can make a huge mess of another planet. :-(
Seriously, if there is no life on the moon what exactly is the problem? It will be obliterated in a few billion years anyway when the Sun goes red giant, regardless of what us 'evil' humans do in the meantime.
If at first you fail...
try try again!
Lots of planets out there for us to practice on I say!
COLONIZE the MOON?
Should Nevad expect a sudden rise in population then?
OK, OK, I'm leaving
First they ban nuclear testing, now you want to get rid of the waste??
But if you get rid of all the radioactive stuff where are the giant mutated ants, radioactive city-destroying lizards and swamp things supposed to come from??!
Sigh....I guess I should have been an adult in the 1950s....
Old Book Worth a Read
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Robert Anson Heinlein, is well worth a read. Let them throw rocks!,
What a good idea.
The last people on the moon
"... stayed for just over three days in 1972"
But the weather was terrible and the skin diving very poor, so they left early.
Re: The last people on the moon
Must have been really weird going to sleep each night - and waking up ... on the Moon.
Not half as weird as it would have been had they gone to sleep on the Moon and woken up somewhere else.....
First.. an outhouse!
No colony can be built without an outhouse dug out first!
Why is the title so misleading?
Why is the title missing ESA? Russia and ESA just completed the Mars habitat experiment and have other joint projects for launchers.
Is it some kind of British bias against Europeans or is the Register simply afraid it would be too many words for us readers? :)
RE: The last people on the moon
Sounds like your describing Benidorm maybe?
On that note, I hope that daily mail reading, carlsberg swilling expat scousers are involved in no way in colonising the moon. The last thing we need is a f****** Benidorm in outer space.
That mob colonising the solar system....doesn't bear thinking about.
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