Thread: Is there any point? (China going to Moon)

Originally Posted by Jack Napier

Really?

How so, if the US and both Russia have already done it, surely they have retained that ability?

Russia hasn't sent people there, unless "Apollo 18" is to be believed.

Nope, we can't go to the moon. We don't have manned capsules to go to orbit, and none that would take us to the moon, land, and return. We didn't build on the technology that we used to go to the moon originally, we trashed it and went in another direction (the Shuttle) which has run it's course.


It would probably take a decade to get a program to send folks to the moon if we were to start now.

Declining powers don't do that sort of thing anyway.

Originally Posted by Lil Mike

Russia hasn't sent people there, unless "Apollo 18" is to be believed.

Nope, we can't go to the moon. We don't have manned capsules to go to orbit, and none that would take us to the moon, land, and return. We didn't build on the technology that we used to go to the moon originally, we trashed it and went in another direction (the Shuttle) which has run it's course.


It would probably take a decade to get a program to send folks to the moon if we were to start now.

Declining powers don't do that sort of thing anyway.

I thought they had, not heard of AP18, though.

I know that there was an actual race between them and America to do it, before the end of that decade, and that at one time, America were losing that race.

I am really amazed that the US no longer have the capacity to go to the moon.

I just took it to be, that if they had done this in 69, and since, then the capability to do so again, would be there.

Was it simply a budget thing, the feeling that they no longer need to send manned craft to the moon, and that it would be better to redirect the spend in other areas?

Perhaps they felt that there was no practical value to the cost of maintaining a means to go to the moon, since they have learned all they can, from previous visits there?

Also, it is now possible to send unmanned probes and such, which, in some ways, are easier, cheaper, and more reliable, than sending a human.

That said, I have often wondered if all of the moon has been explored.

Even if it is not the size of Earth, to do that would still be a huge land mass, so I am going to guess that no, the entire land mass of the Moon has not been explored.

If that is the case, then would it not be a little like landing in the Sahara and deciding that all of Earth is just sand?

And what about under the Moon's surface?

Archaeoliogists dig for ages, to find evidence that has often been illuminating about the history of this planet.

Surely there might be some value in a large scale dig, on the Moon?

Who knows what little bits of information we may find.

Originally Posted by Jack Napier

I thought they had, not heard of AP18, though.

I know that there was an actual race between them and America to do it, before the end of that decade, and that at one time, America were losing that race.

I am really amazed that the US no longer have the capacity to go to the moon.

I just took it to be, that if they had done this in 69, and since, then the capability to do so again, would be there.

Was it simply a budget thing, the feeling that they no longer need to send manned craft to the moon, and that it would be better to redirect the spend in other areas?

Perhaps they felt that there was no practical value to the cost of maintaining a means to go to the moon, since they have learned all they can, from previous visits there?

Also, it is now possible to send unmanned probes and such, which, in some ways, are easier, cheaper, and more reliable, than sending a human.

That said, I have often wondered if all of the moon has been explored.

Even if it is not the size of Earth, to do that would still be a huge land mass, so I am going to guess that no, the entire land mass of the Moon has not been explored.

If that is the case, then would it not be a little like landing in the Sahara and deciding that all of Earth is just sand?

And what about under the Moon's surface?

Archaeoliogists dig for ages, to find evidence that has often been illuminating about the history of this planet.

Surely there might be some value in a large scale dig, on the Moon?

Who knows what little bits of information we may find.

If scientists are to be believed, the moon is made up of parts of the earth that came from an very large object that slammed into earth billions of years ago and were caught by it's gravity and eventually formed into the ball we call our moon

it is the beginning of space warfare, things that start out for peaceful purposes like nuclear programs end up used for war

nasa has given alot of technology to the military

Originally Posted by Jack Napier

Really?

How so, if the US and both Russia have already done it, surely they have retained that ability?

we don't have any current generation of rocket to reach that far. to build a modern system with modern gadget, and rocket to reach that far take years and cost alot. furthermore, almost all the engineer, tech specialist during apollo era are retired.

we haven't build man capsule in a rocket for long time. alot these has to be redesigned, test it take long time and alot $$$. with cut in NASA i doubt it will happen soon

it is believe moon has alot resource that can be tapped. unman probe is good, but ultimately human inervention is required.

Originally Posted by Phoebe Bump

Pull yerself together, man! Felt like a conservative???

Forgive me...I was weak....

btw, truth be known...I am a fiscal conservative and social Libertarian...but the Christian social traditionalists on this site think I'm a liberal, because I'm a pro choice, pro marriage equality, non interventionlist.

Perhaps China is trying to prove once and for all the conspiracy theorist correct? Can you imagine if theres really no evidence of US spacemen walking on the moon?

Apollo 18 is recent sci-fi movie...lol.

A hundred years after America manufactured its firts aircraft carrier China finally drops anchor on one and 40 years after US puts man on the moon, China looking to get into the game as well.

Originally Posted by Goldwater

Forgive me...I was weak....

btw, truth be known...I am a fiscal conservative and social Libertarian...but the Christian social traditionalists on this site think I'm a liberal, because I'm a pro choice, pro marriage equality, non interventionlist.

I don't know what I am. Anti-government/corporate 'partnership' best describes it for the time being. Anti-religious litmus tests. Anti-Santorum.

Originally Posted by s002wjh

we don't have any current generation of rocket to reach that far. to build a modern system with modern gadget, and rocket to reach that far take years and cost alot. furthermore, almost all the engineer, tech specialist during apollo era are retired..

Okay, but why would you need a 'current generation' rocket, to get you as far as you managed in 1969? What was wrong with keeping and maintaining what you had?

Isn't this a bit like my being able to fly from Scotland to the US in a few hours today, then in 40 yrs time, I no longer have that ability, and have gone back to having to rely on a long time at sea, in order to get there?

Also, appreciate that the staff of that time are retired, but surely those skills are passed on or logged?

Again, isn't this a bit like saying all flights have now ceased, because there the pilots that once flew planes are all now retired?

Originally Posted by s002wjh

it is believe moon has alot resource that can be tapped. .

Does it?

Like what, for example?

How many times has man actually been on the moon?

Have they been tapping these resources, during those visits?

What have they tapped so far?