I think its great that we are back in the space exploration business again. The projects that will send our Astronauts to the Moon and Mars are exciting.
My question; We went to the Moon many times successfully over 50 years ago. Engineers with flat top hair cuts, and slide rules in there shirt pockets got us there. Now, after all the technology we have a half century latter,Its taking years to get us back there.

Were the Engineers and Scientist that much smarter 50 years ago?

Whats the deal?

Give a kid a slide rule today and show them how to use it.

Technology of the day was required wildly imaginative groups.

Imagine what possibilities if technology were pursued to its fullest.

While the moon landing was a historic accomplishment, there wasn't all that much there and the next steps were out of reach. Even now they are a big leap and a large budget item.
They need to be able to justify some real benefits other than just being a cool thing to do.
The 60's stuff was really related a lot to cold war projects and technology. Later there were a lot of benefits from that research but few predicted how they would benefit everyday life ahead of time.
The woke crowd wants our research dollars spend on all sorts of green projects.

In retrospect us getting to the moon was one giant political gamble that took some seriously brave men.

We need goals and always to explore and so putting a base on the moon seems a logical step.

Like Apollo, put 400,000 engineers, scientists and technicians on the job and we would get back to the moon in very, very short order.

I don't believe space exploration is going to be very much of a priority (at least for the United States) to a Biden/Harris administration. I expect to see massive cuts in the American program and more US technology transfer to Red China (minus 10% for The Big Guy), similar to what Clinton did in the 90's.

other than "novelty rocks from the moon" is there anything up there to mine or bring back? Anything like some mineral or chemical which you cannot obtain here on earth?

quote:

Were the Engineers and Scientist that much smarter 50 years ago?

Whats the deal?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yep. Those Germans were very smart. That is why we brought a bunch of them to Huntsville. Von Braun used to speak to school kids in the area.

It was the Cold War. Funding was nearly unlimited in some areas.

Do that again and we could get shit done.

quote:

The woke crowd wants our research dollars spend on all sorts of green projects.

Decades ago my buddy had a t-shirt that said:

"Earth First", always getting the thumbs up from the Eugene crowd.

On the back was "We'll log the other planets later"......

and as far as "novelty rocks from the moon"....has anyone read recent reports on just what happened to them all?

quote:

Originally posted by mrw:
Like Apollo, put 400,000 engineers, scientists and technicians on the job and we would get back to the moon in very, very short order.

I doubt that. The environmental impact studies and fighting the injunctions/lawsuits from the greenies alone would take years.

50 years ago, we had engineers, scientists and crews that were tried and tested of their mettle from war.

That, contrasted by those today who are mostly "running programs" based from the information, processes and procedures created by those flattop bearing, birth control glasses wearing, white shirt guys that seldom smiled.

I know, I was raised by them.

I don't know about smarter, but they got a lot done on a chalkboard!

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
other than "novelty rocks from the moon" is there anything up there to mine or bring back?

Alice Kramden?

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
other than "novelty rocks from the moon" is there anything up there to mine or bring back?

Alice Kramden?

This gave me a laugh. But only an older guy like me can appeciate or even understand the humor.

Does it make sense to go back to the moon? I say yes. You can google "reasons to return to the moon." Plenty of informative articles that give lots of reasons to return. There are military and scientific reasons to return. The return will drive scientific innovation. Make no mistake about it. The Chinese have every intention of going to the moon and establishing a permanent base there. If we stay on earth and make wind turbines, it's going to say to the world that there is a new big lead dog in the pack, and it isn't us. That will cost us in many ways, economically, militarily, diplomatically etc. There is water on the moon, so one of the major obstacles to a permanent presence on the moon has been solved.

Plus we really do need to return to the moon before we go onto Mars, which I hope we do. Why go to Mars? Lots of reasons, but it is inevitable that a planet wide catastrophe will happen, although I hope not until very far in the future. If we are on Mars, we have a plan B.

I do hope I live to see us back on the moon. It's worth it.

I would go to Mars, even if it was a one way trip. But I won't eat the potatoes...

I always thought that NASA was a great benefit for our entire country. It was an agency that could throw countless problems to a group of geniuses that were way too smart to work for a corporation inventing plastic packaging for fast food.The problems that they needed to solve at NASA actually challenged them and kept them corralled in case we ever needed that pool of thinkers for something else.

It's not about the technology or the smarts.

It's about resolve.

They had it in the 60s for Project Apollo, and even then, immediately after Apollo 11, many wanted to kill the program. They figured "We beat the Soviets; why spend the money and risk the lives to go back?" Even with great success and an incredibly experienced infrastructure in place, political and public resolve declined so that the last two missions (Apollo 18 and 19) were cancelled.

Had Apollo 13 killed the crew, I'm convinced we never would have gone back. In retrospect, the risks under which they operated were incredible, and I am amazed we didn't lose any astronauts.

Today, we lack this same level of resolve, and we lack the ability to accept dead crews as the price of admission into space. In 1986, after we lost Challenger (I REFUSE to call it a 'disaster'), we grounded ourselves for over 2 years as we wrung our hands fretting over the deaths of 7 people. Again, in 2002 when we lost Columbia, we grounded ourselves again and fretted some more. We must accept deaths in the pursuit of 'conquering' space or else we should just give up and forever cower in low Earth orbit, too afraid to wander more than 100 miles from the Earth's surface. . .

quote:

Originally posted by armored:
I always thought that NASA was a great benefit for our entire country. It was an agency that could throw countless problems to a group of geniuses that were way too smart to work for a corporation inventing plastic packaging for fast food.The problems that they needed to solve at NASA actually challenged them and kept them corralled in case we ever needed that pool of thinkers for something else.

Great insight, and great reason to do so. And if WE don't employ them, the jina commie reds most certainly will.

For thirty years I condemed interplanetary travel and space exploration , I was convinced it was a giant ruse. A giant waste of money.

As of nine years ago, with the help of the Www.
I have done a 180 degree turn.

I am totally convinced that the four hundred most intelligent minds on the planet knew very much what needed to be done.

In 1955 after many months of calculations, calibrations, fact finding, collaborations and social studies , the finest most pragmatic minds on three continents

Came to the unanimous decesion that ,in the not too distant future, based on recent history,

This world would no longer be safe or inhabitable .

No level of structure, knowledge or leadership could exist at any financial ,democratic or ethical level.

Hence , four plans were formulated.

At this time on this date, we ( the people of earth ) are in the second phase , of four of the second plan.

Not relocating was not an option ,by 1955, politicians, war lords and religions have set the time lines back by thirty years.

The very highly educated knew for a fact that worrying over that which can not be controlled is futile.

So best of luck to the great grand kids if today's parents.