NASA to Build Permanent Base on the Moon

[XYNaPSE]

I'm not sure if this belongs in the political forum or here. I don't even know if anyone has discussed it here. I didn't find anything with a search so forgive me if its a repost.

Wow... Colonizing the moon. Now I bet we'll get to see some neat looking space vehicles next. I can't wait. heheh

http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20874154-5001028,00.html


NASA to build permanent base on the moon

By Irene Klotz in Florida
December 05, 2006 12:00

Article from: Reuters
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NASA says it plans to build a permanently occupied base on the moon, most likely at the lunar south pole.
The habitat will serve as a science outpost as well as a testbed for technologies needed for future travel to Mars, and construction will follow a series of flights to the moon scheduled to begin by 2020.
"We're going for a base on the moon," Scott "Doc" Horowitz, NASA's associate administrator for exploration, said from the Johnson Space Centre in Houston.
Plans for what the base will look like and what astronauts would do there have yet to be determined. Similarly, NASA has not projected a date when the base would go into operation.
The moon's polar sites are preferred to equatorial regions because of more moderate temperatures and longer periods of sunlight, which is critical for the solar-powered electrical systems NASA plans to develop. Eventually, nuclear power may be used to augment or replace the solar energy systems.
Scientists also suspect the poles have resources such as hydrogen, ice and other materials that could be used for life support.
"It's exciting," said NASA deputy administrator Shana Dale. "We don't know as much about the polar regions."
The US had already announced plans to develop new spacecraft to travel to the moon and land on its surface for the first time since the last Apollo flight there in 1972. It also plans to provide a communications system linking Earth and the moon.
But NASA doesn't plan to go to the moon alone. The United States will look for international and commercial partners to share the expense and possibly provide components such as extra power systems, living quarters and resources for surface travel on the moon.
NASA is not expecting a budget increase to pay for the program. Rather, it will use funds that will become available as the space shuttle fleet is phased out.
The shuttles are set to be retired in 2010. By that time, NASA plans to have finished building the space station, leaving the moon initiative as a successor to both programs. NASA receives about $US16 billion ($20bn) a year.
Countries that already have been working with NASA to develop its so-called Global Exploration Strategy are Australia, Canada, China, Europe, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, India, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Korea and Ukraine.

[Buck503]

What the hell for?

[duge]

I want to go!!! There's Moon maidens up there! :lovingeye

[garvey]

I want to go!!! There's Moon maidens up there! :lovingeye

Of course - that;s where Dick Tracy retired to.
I think Dondi lives there too - you age more slowly in the low gravity.

[XYNaPSE]

Just saw the shuttle launch from my house. Night launches are the best. It looked like a big torch. Amazing!

[titanium4motion]

That is the question most often asked..."what's in it for me...how do I benefit?"

You are surrounded by the benefits...you simply may not know it. There are thousands of documented technological advancements in your home, office, schools, hospitals and communities that are the result of space exploration over the past 45 years.

The most obvious benefits are those technology spinoffs that many people take for granted but are used every day in their lives - cellular phones, laptops, microwaves, GPS systems, and other small wireless devices.. Technological, scientific and medical advances derived from the space program have made a profound impact on our quality of life and have contributed to the high-tech, "instant communications era" providing convenient communications worldwide.

However, even the 2500+ documented NASA derived technologies don¹t even begin to scratch the surface of the far-reaching, more profound benefits that touch the lives of just about everyone across the U.S. and around the world.

RobotJobs & Economy - Space exploration generates new knowledge and opportunity, which in turn stimulate the economy, making our country more competitive in the global marketplace. The space program employs thousands across the U.S. and puts large and small suppliers to work, stimulating local economies in the states where these businesses operate. Every state in the U.S. receives funding, directly from NASA and indirectly through NASA contractors and suppliers.

National Security & U.S. Preeminence - U.S. leadership in space is being challenged by the emerging space-faring nations around the world. At least 50 nations have already embraced the difficult business of space exploration. China has already launched a man into space and has its sights set on a space station and landing a man on the moon. If the U.S. intends to remain a leader in space, our country and its leaders on Capitol Hill must make this one of our national priorities.

Medical & Safety - Every American is touched in some way either personally or through a loved one by NASA derived technologies that improve the detection and/or treatment of such illnesses as diabetes or heart disease. Digital hearing aids, miniature heart and insulin pumps, cancer detection technology, fire-resistant materials, smoke detectors, LASIK eye surgery,Map humanitarian demining devices, water purification systems and numerous other medical and safety devices trace their origins to space derived technology.

Education & Inspiration - The history books are filled individuals who were inspired and driven to explore - Christopher Columbus, Lewis and Clark, the Wright Brothers, and Neil Armstrong - they were pioneers who made their mark on history. The space program provides unique opportunities to inspire the next generation of explorers from grade school through college. Children are eager to learn and to discover...to dream in hopes that one day they might be the next astronaut to put their footprints back on the moon, or maybe Mars.

What Does It Cost?

If the first question is "how do I benefit?"...it makes sense that the second question is "what does it cost...with all of the wonderful benefits, it must cost a fortune!" In fact, NASA¹s entire annual budget comprises less than one percent of the total annual federal budget. That amounts to about fifteen cents per day, per person, in the U.S. That budget funds more than human space exploration - it also funds Earth Sciences, Aeronautics and other non-exploration activities.

When it comes to the cost of the space program, it is more appropriate to consider it an investment rather than an expense. It is an investment we can and must afford.

For all of these reasons, your voice is critical to the future of our nation¹s space exploration program. Here, you can find the information and tools with which to reach others to tell them how they benefit, how their quality of life is profoundly better as a result of space exploration, and why this very small investment is one that we must make!

Comments taken from spaceadvocate.com

titanium4motion