Why havent we gone back?

[Antoninus Verus]

We last landed someone on the moon in 1972. 33 years ago.

Why havent we sent anyone else since? We are MORE than capable now. The technology 33 years ago is almost barbaric by today's comparison. Immagine everything we could accomplish if we sent a crew with today's technology.

 

[Stellar Vision]

Well from what I understand we wouldn't have even made it there to begin with if not for the 'space race' with the Soviets. That heated competition was what fueled the huge budgets required to make the trip. After America won, the race was pretty much over, and I suppose the public just wasn't interested in going there for science anymore.

Of course there is still much we can learn by going back, and it's definitely a shorter trip than Mars. However it's going to once again depend heavily on motivation, though probably not due to a Cold War or something of that nature. The reason that there's so much support for Mars is because of the mere possibility of life or remnants thereof. Unfortunately the Moon doesn't have that allure.

If anything I suspect that tourism would eventually bring us back to the Moon, that is if the government does nothing. The private sector, you know, seems to be trying to catch up.

 

[HeatherJay]

Well from what I understand we wouldn't have even made it there to begin with if not for the 'space race' with the Soviets. That heated competition was what fueled the huge budgets required to make the trip. After America won, the race was pretty much over, and I suppose the public just wasn't interested in going there for science anymore.

Of course there is still much we can learn by going back, and it's definitely a shorter trip than Mars. However it's going to once again depend heavily on motivation, though probably not due to a Cold War or something of that nature. The reason that there's so much support for Mars is because of the mere possibility of life or remnants thereof. Unfortunately the Moon doesn't have that allure.

If anything I suspect that tourism would eventually bring us back to the Moon, that is if the government does nothing. The private sector, you know, seems to be trying to catch up.

Maybe the men in black are just playing mind games with all the conspiracy theorists.

If anything I suspect that tourism would eventually bring us back to the Moon, that is if the government does nothing. The private sector, you know, seems to be trying to catch up.

I agree. At the very least the possibility of being shown up by the private sector might get the government in gear...might.

 

[michabo]

Why havent we sent anyone else since? We are MORE than capable now.

Because it is very, very expensive and there isn't any compelling reason. There wasn't a compelling reason thirty years ago (IMHO), and there's even less now.

And we aren't actually more capable now, we're less. All of the rockets which were used have been long since decomissioned. It would take years just to redesign and construct all of the components and for what? Some exotic rock?

I wouldn't expect to see another moon landing before a space elevator goes up.

Immagine everything we could accomplish if we sent a crew with today's technology.

I'm drawing a blank.

 

[Iron Sun 254]

We're more capable now than we were in 1961 when Kennedy promised to land a man on the Moon before the end of that decade. If we wanted to, we could be much more successful doing it.

 

[Locrian]

Immagine everything we could accomplish if we sent a crew with today's technology.

I'm drawing a blank.

So am I. Well, at least for useful things. I can think of many things that aren't worth the money.

 

[billwald]

Agree we went there for politics, not science.

 

[WhirlwindMonk]

It's just too expensive. We just don't have the reasources available to be able to justify going again. Personally, I'd love to see another moon landing, but that's just cause i want to see the video on TV. And as much as we can learn a bunch of stuff, it's probably going to have to wait until a single launch doesn't cost some 10 digit number.

 

[Stellar Vision]

I was just thinking about how we merely accomplished the feat of going to the Moon; that is to say it was a singular event and not the start of something. That something, one would think, would've been colonization or a continuing effort to that effect.

Yet we must give our government its due credit. The fact is that it was a stretch, economically at least, and risky in terms of human life. So in that regard it's not so surprising we quit. It's sort of like trying to change a light bulb on the ceiling. You only want to hold you arm up long enough to get the job done.

 

[MoonlessNight]

The only real reason I can see for visiting the moon is to create a stop off base to be a stop off point for longer voyages (and perhaps eventually could construct ships that would not be able to escape the earth's atmosphere and yet could function in space). However, that would take much more of a committment than anyone is willing to give now.

 

[Redneck]

Because the moon is not made of cheese...

Anyone remember that commercial?

 

[Soldier_For_Christ]

My guess is this: There is no need for it. I mean, we know that it isn't made out of cheese D ); We know that it doesn't have very many resources that can be mined; We know that it cannot support life; We know that Mars has greater possibilities of maintaining life than the Moon.

That is my guess, anyway.

 

[billwald]

We went because we were ignorant. If the recent gamma ray burst had occurred during the Apollo mission they would have been toast.

 

[dcsaint]

We went because we were ignorant. If the recent gamma ray burst had occurred during the Apollo mission they would have been toast.

Exactly, people don't realize just how dangerous it is in space. We are spoiled by all of our Sci-Fi movies and shows that make it look like a walk in the park.

There are many deadly particles eminating from the sun and the galaxy that we haven't learned to protect ourselves from. Thank God for the Van Allen Belts around the earth that stop most of the cosmic radiation.

 

[The_Evelyonian]

I think that the only reason to go back to the Moon would be to use it as a jumping off point for manned missions to Mars.

 

[Yamialpha]

Exactly, people don't realize just how dangerous it is in space. We are spoiled by all of our Sci-Fi movies and shows that make it look like a walk in the park.

There are many deadly particles eminating from the sun and the galaxy that we haven't learned to protect ourselves from. Thank God for the Van Allen Belts around the earth that stop most of the cosmic radiation.

That's an argument many skeptics base their argument on. They don't believe it is probable that they could have survived on the moon due to the primary and secondary cosmic radiation.

 

[Locrian]

Do they really say cosmic radiation? Do they (the skeptics, I suppose) include solar radiation in that, because most people wouldn't.