We're going back... it's official!

[Fozzie]

http://news.sky.com/story/trump-orders-nasa-to-return-to-moon-to-lay-foundations-for-mars-trip-11167181

Looks like the US of A are heading back to the moon.. hope this pans out!

 

Hope the image is ok and not classed as political satire or anything.... apologies in advanced if it is... 

Ta

Fozzie

[Tim]

Surprised as you are by this

What an adventure. I think the image should be ok as long as we keep the discussion topical and not revolving around any particular head of a country.

[MarsG76]

EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ronin]

I would also say that returning to the moon actually has little relevance to a Mars mission. Moon is a fairly short 3 day trip, Mars is a long term duration. If going to Mars then a stop off at the moon is very negative - moon could be useful for a gravitation slingshot I suppose but a return to the moon is irrelevant to that.

[PhotoGav]

I am very split by the idea of Man returning to the Moon and adventuring beyond that. On the one hand it is surely the natural extension of mankind's desire to explore where he is and is totally exciting. On the other hand, for the sake of the Universe we really should be confined to this one planet that we are in the process of completely destroying. We just can't be trusted to not ruin the rest of it all out there, starting with the Moon...

[David Smith]

Will believe it when I see it!

[Paul M]

My first question is "why?".

Manned spaceflight has stagnated since Apollo 17 and it'll be like re-inventing the wheel. If the momentum had been maintained there would have been a better chance of this happening. Sadly I think it's decades away and then just trips to prove the technology.

Skip the Moon, let's get to Mars!

[Fozzie]

I've been thinking about this, I'm an 80's child so missed the 1st time round, but my overriding impressions of the "space race" was one of amazement, courage and even the romance of it all.. it must have been something else living a mission through tv coverage... back if I can manage 5 days of ashes then this would be a doddle!

1 hour ago, Paul M said:

My first question is "why?".

Manned spaceflight has stagnated since Apollo 17 and it'll be like re-inventing the wheel. 

To me that answers the question, it has stagnated and it was driven by the world of the 60's at great haste.. a romantic rush job to be first.. imagine with time and the knowledge gathered today what they might actually be able to engineer and create!

3 hours ago, PhotoGav said:

I am very split by the idea of Man returning to the Moon and adventuring beyond that. On the one hand it is surely the natural extension of mankind's desire to explore where he is and is totally exciting. On the other hand, for the sake of the Universe we really should be confined to this one planet that we are in the process of completely destroying. We just can't be trusted to not ruin the rest of it all out there, starting with the Moon...

I know what you mean, the petty mindedness of our civilisations today.. my wife's expecting our second child and I often think what a difficult time to be growing up, with National, religious interests selfishly causing so.much harm.. let's face it we're along way from.the utopian ideals portrayed in startrek for our planet but I think without something like this we can't ever grow or mature as a species to leave that behind us..

Heck this is too deep..

I for one, would be thrilled if they did in my life time, I'm only 37 so maybe they can.. the intent is exciting enough for me.. would love.to.sit around a tv with my kids, maybe even grandkids and watch a live moon landing.. in super mega 4k or what ever "k" they're filming in.. that would be just neat!

Ta

Fozzie 

[PhotoGav]

Absolutely Fozzie. The Philae lander mission was exciting enough, imagine that but with spacemen on board! I missed the first Moon landings by just one month - not that I would have known much about it had I been born a month earlier! Space travel is indeed very exciting and I would love to see a return to the Moon and travel beyond. I will be following the story of Mr Trump's new directive with great interest, as I'm sure all of us on here will. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Hell, why not go out to the States and get involved!!! Surely they could do with an ageing photographer...!

[Les Ewan]

I remember about 10 years ago GW Bush getting over excited about going back to the Moon and manned missions to Mars with NASA getting into a froth about it. Since then nothing.

Personally that's the way I want it,I don't want to the Moon or any planet exploited (and contaminated) by big businesses or governments. I must say I'm a bit surprised their is not some form of global league for the protection of the Moon by now.If and when one is set up Ill be one of the first to sign up.

[Alan White]

Poor old Moon, It makes me wish to cry, it really does.

Nationalistic flag planting should be eradicated ASAP. 
Will we have a Mc Donalds or a Trump golf course on the moon, proudly sponsoring NASA?
I hope a United Space Nations effort to explore space happens, we are mankind not nationkind in my book.

Agree we are fast destroying our planet and indeed our near orbit area of space with space waste, 
this needs a lot of careful design and thought before any more Moon shots take place.
 

[happy-kat]

I don't think we should explore space I think the best thing to happen will be man dying out, rid this universe or other not yet probed of this selfish destructive being.

[Ags]

54 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

I don't think we should explore space I think the best thing to happen will be man dying out, rid this universe or other not yet probed of this selfish destructive being.

In no more than a billion years from now, all advanced life on this planet will be extinguished as the sun heats up. So although we are destroying the life on the planet at the moment, we are also the current only hope to preserve that life indefinitely. Given that we have had advanced life for 600 million years, it has taken all that time to produce an advanced technological intelligence. The odds are not great that Earth will produce another before it bakes. You may not like humanity, but be kind to us: this is the first time (so it seems) that Earth has tried to develop and deploy a really smart and technological species, and there are bound to be a few teething troubles!

On the subject of US presidents and space ambitions: every president announces some or other grand space scheme that is planned to be fully funded and completed by the next president. Typically nothing gets done. Reagan was going to build a space station; Bush I was going to build the same space station and go to the Moon and Mars; Clinton finally delivered a space station with international help; Bush II was going back to the Moon; Obama cancelled the Moon and wanted to go to an asteroid instead; Trump cancelled the asteroid and put the Moon back on the table. In short: US space government policy is going nowhere fast. In particular the US is investing in the fantastically expensive SLS system - it has been nearly a decade of development (despite being a retread of already existing rocket parts) and it has yet to fly, and each flight will cost a billion dollars. A recipe for success?

I think the only real progress from the USA has been the great success in involving private companies in providing cargo and human spaceflight launch services. SpaceX gets a lot of press deservedly - its rockets are the cheapest in the world BEFORE even factoring in their reusability. The Lunar X prize might achieve something. Today an ISS resupply mission is carrying a test manfacturing system for making optical fibre in zero G. Fingers crossed for the launch, which is on a re-used spaceX rocket and being carried inside a reused Dragon supply ship 

[Alan White]

8 minutes ago, Ags said:

You may not like humanity, but be kind to us: this is the first time (so it seems) that Earth has tried to develop and deploy a really smart and technological species, and there are bound to be a few teething troubles!

Nicely put Agnes.

[Fozzie]

I'm a bit taken back how emotive just subject is.. maybe naivety on my behalf.. Just thought it would be nice watch it on the telly, or even go out to see a booster rocket fuel dump or the like..  

You know maybe capture the dreams of a new generation of people who look to the stars..

[Grotemobile]

I see that other countries have said they are going to the moon as well.

Would that be the reason the U.S.A , has decided to go back. 

[Paul M]

13 minutes ago, Fozzie said:

I'm a bit taken back how emotive just subject is.. maybe naivety on my behalf.. Just thought it would be nice watch it on the telly, or even go out to see a booster rocket fuel dump or the like..  

You know maybe capture the dreams of a new generation of people who look to the stars..

I guess I am a spaceflight fan. I still love to watch the original footage of Apollo 11 launch and still get goosebumps when I do. I've watched hundreds of hours of youtube content showing Space Shuttle launches, reentries and particularly the fatal flights. But there is a disconnect for me. I really am not a fan of many of the mission purposes.

Ok, they put the space telescope up there and went back to fix it. But in my opinion the Shuttle was a vehicle looking for a purpose and ultimately it proved to have none other than a testing ground for some technology that might be useful in future vehicles. Surely if the money and effort had been expended on establishing a presence on the Moon we wouldn't be having this conversation now! 

Perhaps I'm a romantic (well, I know I am) but Apollo was something quite special. Those guys flew by the seat of their pants backed up by minimal technology. I think they made it happen. I'm not so sure the outcomes will be so spectacular in technology ridden and driven vehicles where the crew have become passengers.

The Apollo 13 mission is perhaps one of mankind's greatest moments. Brilliant young minds armed with little more than slide rules and a crew that surpassed all expectation. In some ways it trumps Apollo 11. 

Oh no! I just used the "t" word

[RayD]

Perhaps he is forward thinking along with Jeff Bezos who is absolutely convinced that for the human race to have any chance of long-term survival we need to move heavy industry to our moon, and why he is involved in developing systems to get us there.  His view on this was surprising but also very compelling in a recent documentary.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Without getting political etc...

Good on him for doing this.

Yes, let's get back to the Moon with the aim of it being a launch pad for missions to Mars. Its been an idea for yrs, but has never took off.

 

 

[Zayvin]

This has to be one of the very few sensible, well good at least, things to come out of his mouth since he gained office. So excited that someone will be pushing the boundaries once again!

[Dave Lloyd]

Mankind will push out into space eventually. It's been a dream,  I expect since eyes were first raised questioningly to the sky. Temporary political or ecological glitches won't stop it. 

[Ouroboros]

Rumours have it that Donald will head the mission and that there are no plans to provide a return spacecraft. But he hasn't been told that bit.  

[Paul73]

I expect that the motivation is one of competition. What better way to make ‘America great again’. Harking back to the last Space Race....

Whilest it would be lovely to see a joint ‘World’ collaboration, sadly NASA have probably got more chance of making it alone.

Hopefully this will spawn some great science / technology.

Paul

[Ags]

On the contrary, an international commitment, like the International Space Station, is more likely to get consistent funding across US administrations and have some kind of stability of project vision and buy-in. Simple point: compare the ISS to Space Station Freedom (never flew) or Skylab (soon abandoned). NASA have been very successful in making things NOT happen (in human spaceflight) since 1969. They are so good at this they are currently incapable of launching anyone into space, letalone the moon! Or in the case of the Space Shuttle, they made something happen that was completely misguided and then kept making it happen, regardless of the loss of life and astronomical costs.

Regarding Trump's new vision: it's easy to sign a new directive in front of the TV cameras, but let's see what happens to the NASA budget.

[Macavity]

Make the best of it? Avoiding *party* politics, I have always sensed that politicians
LIKE science... especially "Big Science"! What other profession would have people
who are prepared to work up to "60 hour weeks" + weekends with no overtime.

But so few politicos have even a *basic* scientific literacy. The know that general
public love to hear of "cuts" to the science budget? The latter probably didn't LIKE 
a science teacher at school or (dare I say) were no good at it? Science is HARD! 

As JFK said: "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things,
not because they are easy, but because they are hard".
Much easier being a politico / CRITIC!  

P.S. But that doesn't mean I am an fan / advocate of unrestricted science funding.
UK science is *always* underfunded? I reflect on "what might have been" (here)
and worry about our future involvement in international collaborative science etc.