Why haven't we returned to the moon?

jpcedotal said:

I am just wondering why there has been never a return trip?

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The original trip was politically motivated by Red fear. Now that the threat is gone, there's no incentive to go back.

At the moment, the short answer is that we're broke and we can't afford it.


Twelve men have walked on the moon. No women have been there. I was hoping that the feminists would get involved and demand that we send a woman to the moon.


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There was a lot of interest in a manned mission to Mars when it was proposed back in 2004 but now that G W Bush is no longer President there is no longer anyone who really needs to be sent.

Dale said:

At the moment, the short answer is that we're broke and we can't afford it.

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Changing the topic just slightly, it would have been cheaper to send G W Bush to Mars than to finance the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars.

I'm assuming we wouldn't bring him back so wouldn't have to fund the space program AND the wars.

The original trip was politically motivated by Red fear. Now that the threat is gone, there's no incentive to go back.

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Kind of how I feel, although I don't know if it was "fear" so much as pride. The Soviets had a couple of early showings with the first object and man in orbit and crashing a probe or two into the moon before we got anything there, but they never had any real chance of beating us to the moon.

The moon landings were something like scaling Everest or reaching the South Pole.

If we were serious about space, we wouldn't be focusing on at setting men down on other planets in one-off missions, but on a space plane for regular runs in order to establish and supply real space stations/bases/colonies/etc.

The real question isn't "why haven't we been back to the moon?" but "why was the Space Shuttle, an early phase in developing a space plane, still our best space vehicle into the 21st century and retired with no replacement?"

I´m not convinced sending humans instead of robots is worth the extra effort and money just so we can boast having attached a human to a machine that did not need it to be there.

Exiledoomsayer said:

I´m not convinced sending humans instead of robots is worth the extra effort and money just so we can boast having attached a human to a machine that did not need it to be there.

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Ever read The Right Stuff or seen the movie? Often "science" isn't about what is most efficient, but about what gets funded.

Part of building public support for a space program was about capturing their imagination with heroes. Bismarck, Lenin, and other big men of politics have made some interesting comments about treating people like sheep so they can be used for the proper end.

Resha Caner said:

Ever read The Right Stuff or seen the movie? Often "science" isn't about what is most efficient, but about what gets funded.

Part of building public support for a space program was about capturing their imagination with heroes. Bismarck, Lenin, and other big men of politics have made some interesting comments about treating people like sheep so they can be used for the proper end.

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I have not read or seen the right stuf no. What is it about?

I forgot for a moment you have to sacrifice a goat to the average public to get their attention, good point.

I think you're asking the wrong question. The question we need to ask first is simple.

Did we ACTUALLY go to the moon the first time?

The moon is useless. We don't need to go back unless we thing we should build a small colony on there. Which would ultimatley be a bad idea.

jpcedotal said:

I am just wondering why there has been never a return trip?

It seems really weak to just say there is nothing important up there. I mean, I am sure we could use the practice of landing a human being on another surface a few more times before we send them further off. We have spent a lot of money on some pretty useless trips (not all, but more than one) to the space station so the money issue just doesn't fly with me.

Even at a stretch, let's go up there just to erect a habitat on another surface and study the effects of both the structure and the humans living there.

I mean, it just makes me wonder...

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Haven't you seen the commercial? It's because we found out that it wasn't made out of cheese.

Expecting a massive piece of swiss cheese and instead getting a dusty, lifeless rock would be a huge let down. It's only logical.

SmellsLikeCurlyFries said:

I think you're asking the wrong question. The question we need to ask first is simple.

Did we ACTUALLY go to the moon the first time?

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No that isn't the question because we did go to the moon.

xfreakazoidx said:

The moon is useless. We don't need to go back unless we thing we should build a small colony on there. Which would ultimatley be a bad idea.

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It would be a brilliant place to have a collection of telescopes.

Exiledoomsayer said:

I have not read or seen the right stuf no. What is it about?

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It's about the early space program, but it has a political slant to it. It shows a contrast between the image of 1950s America, what some politicans were doing behind the scenes, and how the test pilots (astronauts) who were caught in the middle dealt with it.

True. Or if we made it into the Deathstar! lol

Although seriously I am sure we could use it for something like use it to launch missiles are an incoming asteroid. Or maybe use it to store things that people want kept serect/safe. It could have some uses. BUt the expense would be crazy I imagine.

Theres always the simple use of advertising. Put a giant panoramic tv or sign thing on it that can change depending on whos advertising. It would perfect for advertising God. Have it say:
"Where will you go when you die? -God"

Or ignore advertising and use it as a global movie screen to watch movies! lol

jpcedotal said:

hmmmm....

I will say this, I am not 100% sure we could land and take off from the moon today, much less 50 years ago.

This is just one of those things I wish it would be proven once and for all. There has been so much political refuse mixed in with pure science in the last 30 years.

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I suppose you could point a telescope at the moon and check for footsteps? Or just look at the moon rocks they brought back.

This kinda strikes me on the same level as asking it was proven the earth is a sphere.

Nabobalis said:

No that isn't the question because we did go to the moon.

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How do you know for sure?