h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Was there a specific reason or did moon trips just fizzle out?

The main reason was to show they could do it. And there wasn't much scientific results to be gained from it, since not much seems to have been planned. Limited what two guys can do with a few kilos of equipment. So the cost/benefit just didn't come out very well.

So they're spending 104 billion to go there again?

I think Bush is just trying to get popular. He's no the one who has to do it anyway, it's his last term. Then Jeb gets in instead.

They stopped going because the public lost interest so there was no votes in it.

They've stopped doing trips to the moon?

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Ryanair to start a Moon-Earth route.

They stopped because they succeeded.

Kennedy said they'd get a man to the moon and back before the decade was out, then died before he could say "hang on, this is costing 20% of our entire GDP and for what?". The nation that loved him backed his dream, but only until it was realised. Once it had been done, it was done. Why bother to keep doing it?

Once again, the primary motivation for these new moon missions is political - "hey, look over here...", in that Bush has talked about going to Mars, and the first step that way is back to the Moon. Only this time we'll have to go back with a view to staying there. Personally I hope it comes off, but I also doubt it will happen. Bush simply isn't revered in the way Kennedy was - although there is a way for him to achieve similar status, and all it will take is a single patriotic American with a rifle...

SoRB

"The US space agency Nasa has announced plans to return to the Moon by 2020."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4261522.stm



az

Wasn't it something to do with a parking meter that dreamed about skiing?

B

Nahh, it's all Schlüters fault


http://www.damos.ch/bushpilot.wmv


( Bear with the languge, you don't need to knoe´w it to understand )

Schlüter did as well as he could, considering what he's driving...No matter that his english isn't up to par.

It'd be quite interesting to see how much the space race actually cost (was that 20% figure just plucked out of the near sub-zero vacuum or is it accurate? It seems excessive) and what the claimed benefits in scientific offshoots actually add up to.

Time to get digging I guess. Google-me-do.

>>Bush has talked about going to Mars<<

Hurrah, finally a point to the space programme. Only if he doesn't come back though.

The usual figure for Apollo was $20bn in toto.

Far from being 20% of the US GDP, the whole programme could have been paid for and then some by quitting the Vietnam War a year earlier.

At it's peak in popularity, the average American spent more on Space Invaders arcade games in a year than he/she ever did on Apollo.

I've heard that after the moon trips were stopped, NASA's expenditure was less than the rounding errors in the Defense Budget.

where did you hear that ?

The budget was certainly cut back pretty savagely.

The real tragedy was that the Saturn V production facilities were deliberately dismantled to reassure the builders of the Space Shuttle that they wouldn't be left in the lurch by a reversion to the Saturn technology if they hit expensive problems (which, of course they did).

I think it was Carl Sagan said it. He was trying to persuade the American government to send a mission to Mars.

Personally, I cant wait. I grew up in the "Space Race" era and used to sit and record the TV transmissions on my faithful old cassette player (still have the tapes - how sad)

I know all about the cost and how much more benefit it would have if it were spent here on "Earthbound" issues, but there is something deeply pioneering about mankind reaching out from his homeworld.

I think we all know that Space travel is a billion times more dangerous than simple flying - but in the 60's when Apollo was born it underlined the fact that man dared to dream. Now we are run by bean counters, what a dreary world this has become. So safe, no risks, no dreaming........

Bring it on I say!