NASA Stresses Global Participation in New Lunar Plan, page 1

posted on Dec, 13 2006 @ 11:16 AM

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This article discusses NASA's new Lunar Plan in brief detail and explains how NASA plans to incorperate international and corporate interests to contribute to the project. The new approach is explained as being different to the one take with the international space station. A foreign official said with delight, "The overall approach was very un-NASA," The article goes on to say that in the next year expect to see plans on which architecture to go with and within the next few years expect to see other space agencies sign on with this plan.

www.space.com
HOUSTON, Texas -- U.S. space exploration plans came into sharper focus with NASA’s announcement that it intends to lay the first pieces of an international lunar outpost at the Moon’s north or south poles starting around 2020.

For spacefaring nations considering joining the United States on the Moon, NASA’s unveiling of a fairly detailed lunar exploration plan—highly tentative though it may be—was a small but important step toward international collaboration, experts here said.

NASA’s proposed lunar architecture—essentially, a rough plan to scout the Moon with robotic trailblazers before sending astronauts and more machines to lay a foundation for a permanent outpost at one of the lunar poles—is the United States’ response to an overarching Global Exploration Strategy that emerged this year from a series of international meetings involving 14 space agencies and more than 1,000 people including government officials, business executives, scientists and other experts, NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale said during a Dec. 4 press conference here.

Please visit the link provided for the complete story.

Personally, I think this is just what NASA needs to do, open itself up to foreign investment and think tanks. The more open NASA is the cheaper it will cost the average American and the more it will help the average American. By sharing the cost NASA can afford to take on endeavors as big as this.

Finally, I don't like the idea of "pod" bases on the moon. Why can't they get an earth mover to bore tunnels or have nano-brick factories on the moon, "pods" seem so dated for me. I know cost is an issue, but sometimes if you do something right the first time in the long run you spend a lot less money.

[edit on 12/13/2006 by Gools]

sardion2000

posted on Dec, 13 2006 @ 02:05 PM

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Well, here's hoping that more productive stuff happens in 2007. I'm glad they are trying to cover all the bases this time to try to avoid the mishaps of the ISS. I can definitely see my country getting involved in the program. More Robotics and perhaps Fuel Cells. Our resource extraction sector might also want to get into this as well. Just imagine the possibilities of a Multinational Multipcorporate program could achieve... All technology and knowledge derived should become to property of all mankind however(or at the very least, the property of all the Citizens of the Country's involved as well as the Employees of the Corporations involved).

c3hamby

posted on Dec, 13 2006 @ 04:18 PM

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This is pretty positive. The ETs want us to be united in everyway, and maybe they would let us build a base on the moon if it truly was an international effort.

But why does NASA want that base up there?

If it's to weaponize space(ETs will give the world a common enemy and a reason to unite), then the ETs are going to balk on that one, too.

There are more efficient and better ways to get to Mars than using rocket fuel.

iori_komei

posted on Dec, 13 2006 @ 04:23 PM

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Originally posted by c3hamby
But why does NASA want that base up there?

Because it's the closest astronomical body to Earth, and
much science and astronomy can be conducted there.

There are more efficient and better ways to get to Mars than using rocket fuel.

In theory, there are a few propulsion systems that would be
a much better system to use, but we don't have the technology
to create quite yet.

Plasma rockets will most likely be the most researched altern-
ative to the rockets we use today.