Is it worth returning to the moon?

[bwana]

Today's Artemis I launch issues aside, do you think it is worth the money and resources necessary to return to the moon?

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

Russkies sitting on an armchair drinking Vodka waiting for the yanks to open the Hatch,
Da Comrade, what took you so long, you stop for a shag and a snack???

 

[Pak Fa Fui]

Brilliant poll options, well done

 

[Brian_G]

Kind of pointless if we're not reaching for something big...?

 

[DapperDanMan]

Well, someone has to try and save the Flat Earthers from themselves - and it may as well be the taxman ... because why not?

 

[Goosfrabba]

Yes...all that sweet delicious cheese going unmined

 

[Brian_G]

First Moonfall Poster Confirms The Moon Is Hollow, Not Made Of Cheese

The first Moonfall poster has confirmed what many has long suspected; the Moon is in fact hollow and very, very evil.

wegotthiscovered.com

 

[Prawnapple]

Postponed to 2 September. Perhaps not even a question of worth, but rather survival.

 

[Brian_G]

Beyond the return is the planned base there, so we can go to Mars.
Not sure NASA can handle that, maybe Elon though..

 

[Magandroid]

Well, with the Chinese making plans to occupy the moon in the future, someone (or country) has to police what is going on there, like they do here on Earth. With the Chinese government's "abysmal human rights" record here on earth, who knows what will happen to the moon people.
Also with all the abundant rare earth natural resources available on the moon, someone (or country) has to "gently implement freedom and democracy" for the moon people.

 

[Matt91]

I think it's worthwhile cos we're gonna mine the kak out of it right? Helium3 is the fuel of the future?

 

[Jean Claude Vaaldamme]

Yes you have to go and place a few things there to make it looks like you were there in 1969. Before the Chinese lands there and proof you lied

 

[WollieVerstege]

Sure, the Helium 3 alone make all the expense and effort worth it.

 

[Neptuner]

No, lets improve life on earth...

 

[saor]

'Worth it' is a strange way to think about it. Seems more a question of 'do we stay on earth or start exploring the solar system'? If exploring is what we're doing, then getting regular living & space travel on the nearest object makes sense. Let's get comfortable paddling across the bay, then have a go at the ocean. (Yes I think it's worth it)

 

[Matt91]

https://www.explainingthefuture.com/helium3.html

"Helium-3 is produced as a by-product of the maintenance of nuclear weapons, which could net a supply of around 15Kg a year. Helium-3 is, however, emitted by the Sun within its solar winds. Our atmosphere prevents any of this helium-3 arriving on the Earth. However, as it does not have an atmosphere, there is nothing to stop helium-3 arriving on the surface of the Moon and being absorbed by the lunar soil. As a result, it has been estimated that there are around 1,100,000 metric tonnes of helium-3 on the surface of the Moon down to a depth of a few metres."

"As reported in an Artemis Project paper, about 25 tonnes of helium-3 -- or a fully-loaded Space Shuttle cargo bay's worth -- could power the United States for a year. This means that helium-3 has a potential economic value in the order of $3bn a tonne -- making it the only thing remotely economically viable to consider mining from the Moon given current and likely-near-future space travel technologies and capabilities."

 

[The_MAC]

I think it is, someone has to start putting up signs..

 

[wingnut771]

Hopefully Artemis I takes some nice high res photos of the flag.

 

[Geoff.D]

Today's Artemis I launch issues aside, do you think it is worth the money and resources necessary to return to the moon?

The entire human race needs a new vision to latch on to again, akin to what happened in the '60's. And that needs to be potentially achievable in the next 10 years or so.

 

[Spizz]

Sure, the Helium 3 alone make all the expense and effort worth it.

Getting it back might be a bit of an issue. Hook a Venter trailer to Artemis towbar?