Russia Plans to Colonize Moon by 2030, Newspaper Reports

Russia is planning to put a manned colony on the Moon as soon as in 2030, and is racing to dispatch the first robotic rovers to explore the lunar surface two years from now, a media report says.

Newspaper Izvestia said Thursday it had gained access to a draft government program, prepared by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Roscosmos federal space agency, Moscow State University and several space research institutes, outlining a three-step plan toward manning the moon.

A robotic craft would be sent to the Moon as early as in 2016 and through the following decade, and by 2028, Russia would be ready to send manned missions to orbit the Earth's satellite, Izvestia said, citing the report.

Russia Plans to Colonize Moon by 2030, Newspaper Reports

Looks like the things are getting serious. The "Cold war " is going on a different level.

The Russian document underlined the need for speedy lunar exploration, saying "leading space powers will expand and establish their rights to convenient lunar footholds to ensure future opportunities for practical use," in the next 20 to 30 years, Izvestia cited the document as saying.

edit: Here is also a link to the news in the ITAR-TASS News Agency :en.itar-tass.com...

Well that gives them 16 years after they colonize the World. Can see the squel to Iron Skies.

After the U.S. beats them there, I wonder how we will get along. Will we live together, in peace, or divide the land? How will citizens be governed in space?

Interesting times.

a reply to: iasenko

Awesome , hopefully turns into a space race with a few countries. I can get behind that, so much better than blowing each other up.

a reply to: ZeussusZ

Yeah man. I hope we have a full blown space race. If we can get some military funding behind our space program again no one will be able to hold a candle to us in space.

I hope we colonize mars first though. The moon is nice, but mars has much more mineral wealth. Also its a freaking planet.

I would love it if space unites us as a species but considering how Russia is trying to deny the US orbital launch service we
Should take it as a sign that we need to cut them out of the loop for the sake of our progress as a species.

We need to get back to setting a new standard for human progress.

lol... what makes you think the US will beat them there?

Knowing how long ventures like this take to get off the ground, especially in the US in today's corporate "value proposition" environment, the US will be lucky to have even an agreed upon plan by 2020. Russia, Europe and China (and even India) are much better positioned currently to "win" a new space race.

As to how everyone will get along, I guess that depends on whether the US will wage war on anyone who beats them there... and more broadly whether all nations can get past this nationalistic competition mentality to "betterment of humanity" mentality.

Cheers

Russia may not be able to afford such a bold venture.......
With the world political scene one of rapidly changing alliances and loyalties....I think their time table is so optimistic as to simply be more propaganda in the war of words they are waging with us......

a reply to: stirling

Sure they can, they basically made the mir of cardboard and it worked, they parts always are simpler and do the work, that's why they can do it.

that's the reason why the ISS life support is almost entirely Russian.

Too bad it seems the space race will be between China Russia and perhaps India and not USA

a reply to: puzzlesphere

lol... what makes you think the US will beat them there - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

We did beat them there. Unfortunately, we did not exploit our advantage.

a reply to: iasenko

So why are they starting with the Ukraine?

a reply to: smithjustinb

a reply to: DJW001

Originally yes... though this thread is referring to current day, and colonisation, not a race nearly 50 years in the past.

I was responding to the potential 2020's space race to moon colonisation.

;-j

ETA: There also wasn't much of an advantage to be had 50 years ago... realistically there wasn't the technology or global earth infrastructure to support a moon colony indefinitely, and only recently have we gotten close to actual self-sustainable habitats... It would still be difficult today; maybe by 2028 it will be less risky.

a reply to: tadaman

It would be nice to see NASA go back to its former glory too.

But with what money?

AWESOME! We need a space race. Our engineers and scientists need the work and we all need the information that comes from ventures like this. Now ... if only Obama and whoever comes after him will get off the golf courses and do some work in this direction. Good luck with that.

a reply to: stirling

Good point. Does any one else see the shift from them to us? In the 60's it was the US going to the moon while the Russians "threatened" the world. Now the roles are seemingly reversed.

Someone tell them its a frivolous idea to colonize space. Let alone costly. Once they go and find out like we did that people become quickly bored with the venture and money dries up, then they will abandon their programs as quickly as we did.

www.globalrums.com...

www.spaceychick.com...

originally posted by: DJW001
a reply to: puzzlesphere

lol... what makes you think the US will beat them there - See more at: www.abovetopsecret.com...

We did beat them there. Unfortunately, we did not exploit our advantage.

We were the first to put people on the moon but Russia had robots on the moon a good ten years before we got there.

originally posted by: stirling
Russia may not be able to afford such a bold venture.......
With the world political scene one of rapidly changing alliances and loyalties....I think their time table is so optimistic as to simply be more propaganda in the war of words they are waging with us......

You can afford anything if you are not connected to economic Ponzi schemes that removes your ability to create things. Russia is decoupling from Petro dollar and the Ponzi scheme. It is US that cannot afford anything at all at the moment where the controllers of the banks are only interested in Luxury/solidifying power not progress.

143,700,000 people. Put one million of the brightest on this project and you have 142 million people supporting their material need while they are creating this.

a reply to: tadaman

I hope we colonize mars first though. The moon is nice, but mars has much more mineral wealth. Also its a freaking planet.

It would be better to launch from the moon to Mars instead of launching from Earth.
1. The moon's lower gravity means we can launch a bigger payload.
2. There is Helium 3 on the Moon that can be mined and used to power the ship.

originally posted by: buster2010
1. The moon's lower gravity means we can launch a bigger payload.

But you still have to get the payload from the earth to the moon.
So there really isn't much of an advantage. It still has to get moved off the earth.

originally posted by: FlyersFan

originally posted by: buster2010
1. The moon's lower gravity means we can launch a bigger payload.

But you still have to get the payload from the earth to the moon.
So there really isn't much of an advantage. It still has to get moved off the earth.

Yes and no.

In a conventional sense your right.

BUT

If you have a permanent base you have a few advantages now.

1) 3D printing is at a point now were you could build ship parts on the moon. That means less cargo and less weight needed for Earth to orbit and you can build needed parts on the moon. Plus you would not have to build the parts to take the strain of a earth to orbit launch and instead just focuses on the what unique property they need for Moon to mars transfers.

2) As escape velocity's for the moon is low it means we could build potential ships out of more sturdier and radiation resistant material rather than the tin cans we use for Earth to orbit now.

3) Fuel. If you can find water reserves it means you only need to pack enough fuel for Earth to moon. Fuel for Moon to mars can be made on the moon which will act as a refueling station. Again less weight.

4) More fuel options International treaty's and the hippy brigade have put a limit on what sort of fuels and propulsion mechanisms we can use. Nuclear power option since the 50's could have given us travel potential that is magnitudes faster, cheaper and reliable than what we use now (look at Orion, NERVA, Rover ect ) but due to certain treaty's and environmental concerns we are stuck with traditional chemical fuels which are limiting and quite frankly will get as nowhere beyond mars. On the moon? The treaty's and environmental concerns disappear.

5) saftey. Earth to orbit it the most risky part. Almost all fatal accidents have been when takeing off or landing. Moon to orbit an then to mars is a piece of cake in comparisson. If you launch your whole ship from earth you risk not only turning your crew into crispy critters but also loseing a multi billion doller craft crippling your program, if eart to orbit is just crew transport its less of a material loss if something goes wrong.

At the end of the day Earth to moon trips could literally just be for transporting crew and food to a bigger and better ships waiting on the moon.

I cant say with certainty who would win this race....but I can say this! We (humans) should not be colonizing ANY other planets/moons until we can figure out a way to respect our surroundings (nature) without destroying it and stop thinking that everything is there for profit, we are destroying our beautiful Earth and when we start running low on resources, we'll just go onto the next planet utill we destroy it too?!?

We are savages and we would kill to take it over and get the precious resources. Once a valuable metal/gas/ whatever is discovered, this si when the real conflicts will start, as countries have done well....forever, would start wars for the $$$.



It's wrong imo.

Still amazing that we can actually plan this type of mission now though as it shows how our technology is advancing.

Just my 2 cents