US plans permanent base on Moon

[Syndyre]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6208456.stm

Pretty cool!

Guess Bush is planning his legacy!

 

[vespax]

They say the next biggest wars will be over water. But who's going to fight over the moon? America is landing a big chunk of real estate here.

 

[Nod]

China also plans to start mining on the moon. Guess who gets the dark side

 

[kilo39]

US space agency Nasa has said it plans to start work on a permanently-occupied base on the Moon after astronauts begin flying back there in 2020.
-
The agency's deputy head, Shana Dale, is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying that the "fundamental lunar approach" will be very different to earlier Moon missions.
-
The permanent base will be built near one of the two poles, as these are felt to have a moderate climate and more sunlight - essential if the base is to use solar energy.

Funny how the dark side is actually the light side (wonder if there's a lesson in there somewhere?)

Dang fundamentalists are everywhere.

I wonder if we'll have real broadband by then?

 

[RichardP]

Maybe Bush found some oil on the moon ? ...

 

[Debbie]

My house:

Hey, NASA's putting up a permanent moon base.

About time!

Edit- RichardP, perhaps that could be said:

Nasa announced in August that the Lockheed Martin Corporation will build the next US spaceship to take humans to the Moon.

 

[Syndyre]

Maybe Bush found some oil on the moon ? ...

Haliburton's offices are moving. The moon'll be the new tax haven soon.

 

[Alan]

Funny how the dark side is actually the light side (wonder if there's a lesson in there somewhere?)

Typical


We can only hope you learnt yours

 

[Debbie]

Interesting further from a long-term war industry point of view, and the opportunities it could provide.

Lockheed Martin, you say?

 

[Wisemansa]

damn americans

 

[Syndyre]

Remember there was a race between Lockheed Martin and another company, can't remember which one, to get the tender. Apparently now that Lockheed Martin's got it they'll effectively be the only player in space, the other company's virtually pulling out of the market.

 

[Debbie]

Stephen Hawkings says "man must leave earth". A few days later, the decision to do this is taken. This is going to be a rather important event when history looks back I would guess. I think it must be done, but with the state of the politics on earth...eish is our technology outstripping our maturity?

 

[Syndyre]

Stephen Hawkings says "man must leave earth". A few days later, the decision to do this is taken. This is going to be a rather important event when history looks back I would guess. I think it must be done, but with the state of the politics on earth...eish is our technology outstripping our maturity?

Considering the state of earthly politics its probably a good thing to diversify. If you look at preservation of the species from an evolutionary standpoint its rather risky being confined to one planet with multiple nuclear arsenals controlled by somewhat unstable people, especially coupled with global warming/climate change etc.

 

[Debbie]

Considering the state of earthly politics its probably a good thing to diversify. If you look at preservation of the species from an evolutionary standpoint its rather risky being confined to one planet with multiple nuclear arsenals controlled by somewhat unstable people, especially coupled with global warming/climate change etc.

Outrageous, yes, but 'evolutionarily' could this be the genesis of a split? Maybe hmmm huh, who knows what might happen...? What do you think Syndyre?

 

[Syndyre]

Outrageous, yes, but 'evolutionarily' could this be the genesis of a split? Maybe hmmm huh, who knows what might happen...? What do you think Syndyre?

Remember seeing a documentary once where they said that due to the different gravitational fields etc. on the moon if people were to be born there and live there permanently it would take quite a lot of effort to stay "normal" in the earthly sense, in appearance anyway. Their theory was that this would be done at first because the moon would just be a small outpost but as it grew and essentially became its own self-contained community this would no longer be regarded as necessary and the people would begin to look different and gradually adopt their own culture etc., as would happen on other colonised planets. Seems plausible to me.

 

[MyDraadloos]

I think they know something and they are not telling us ....... any planet killers been spotted lately ?

 

[Syndyre]

I think they know something and they are not telling us ....... any planet killers been spotted lately ?

Well Kim Jong-Il is delusional and desperately trying to acquire nukes while at the same time testing missiles...

 

[Debbie]

Remember seeing a documentary once where they said that due to the different gravitational fields etc. on the moon if people were to be born there and live there permanently it would take quite a lot of effort to stay "normal" in the earthly sense, in appearance anyway. Their theory was that this would be done at first because the moon would just be a small outpost but as it grew and essentially became its own self-contained community this would no longer be regarded as necessary and the people would begin to look different and gradually adopt their own culture etc., as would happen on other colonised planets. Seems plausible to me.

Raises some interesting 'ethical' questions all round. Our structures of morality are not equipped to answer these questions! These are newish thoughts to me.

 

[Syndyre]

Raises some interesting 'ethical' questions all round. Our structures of morality are not equipped to answer these questions! These are newish thoughts to me.

At what point do we start to consider these groups of people separate species? What if some of the groups become more intelligent/capable than others? Should they always have a "right of return" (to paraphrase the Palestinians!) to Earth? Lots of interesting questions? I think anything that forces us to reexamine our moral structures is generally a good thing though, they shouldn't be static. Don't really see how this could be regarded as "bad technology" like some people see cloning either.

 

[Gunny]

But who will lay claim to the moon and whos laws will they adopt will it become another american state and platform for attacks on what they deem lesser countries. Imagine having a missile launcer on the moon. Some world group needs to step in here and start regulating. But who ? The UN cant even controll the US. Anyone else scared ?