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Thursday, September 19, 2013

Should We Return To The Moon

Should We Return To The Moon?
This post is brought to you by writer Stephen Tremp, author of the Breakthrough trilogy.
Listening to the latest and greatest on a return trip to the moon, you would think you were reading an executive summary of an important business plan.
 
A return trip to the moon actually makes a lot of sense. A lot has happened since the six manned U.S. Apollo landings between 1969 and 1972.
 
New and innovative technologies will be able to utilize lunar resources to supply and replenish oxygen (found in the lunar soil), volatile gasses, fuel, water, and construction materials. We won’t have to haul all off this to the moon and worry about replenishing supplies vital to sustain life. 
 
• The moon could hold secrets regarding our world.
• Lower gravity means it’s easier to launch ships to other planets and moons.
• Telescopes would have a better view to see deep into our universe as there is no atmosphere to interfere with observations.
• And the moon holds vital resources. We know there is water on the moon in the form of ice. And the hydrogen and oxygen atoms could be used as rocket fuel.
 
At least seven major potential lunar construction materials have been identified. These include:
• concrete
• sulfur concrete
• cast basalt
• sintered basalt
• fiberglass
• cast glass
• metals
 
Add new and innovative technologies with the moon’s natural resources, and it’s not difficult to imagine one giant leap for mankind toward self-sufficiency and independence from the Earth.

Sure, more leaps need to be taken, such as producing a steady flow of food. Maybe Quisp and Tang grows there in abundance. But for now, it’s easy to see how making return trips to the moon makes a lot of sense.
 
The U.S. does not have concrete plans to return to the moon any time soon. China plans to land an unmanned exploratory rover on the moon by the end of this year.
 
The Question Is: will private industry beat governments to the punch?
 
Let’s take a quick look at private industry on the cusp of taking man and supplies into space and the moon. I’ll refer you to an earlier post on Space X, headed up by Elon Musk: CLICK HERE.
 
Also check out my article on LEO (Low Earth Orbit), the first private space telescope launched by Planetary Resources.
 
Do you have time for one more? Check out my article on Virgin Galactic, headed up by Sir Richard Branson.
 
You can visit Stephen Tremp at his blog by CLICKING HERE.

18 comments:

L.G. Keltner said...

Let's go to the moon and beyond! I'm ready! Heck, I'd climb into a rocket and launch myself if they'd let me!

Unknown said...

I find it so bizarre that we haven't already been back. Seems so strange!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I can see us returning and setting up a station there in the next few decades.
We need to get back there before Marvin the Martian!

Jo said...

I definitely think we need to go back to the moon, but by we I mean mankind, you are presumably talking US. I firmly believe in space development and exploration and hope man will pursue it to the nth degree.

Stephen Tremp said...

LG, Virgin Atlantic is offering trips into space for civilians in the not too distant future. Just need $100,000 and secure your seat now.

Rinelle, I agree. Does seem strange. Maybe we've been going there all along.

We don't want to make Marvin very very angry.

Jo, I agree. That's why I included Virgin Galactic in the article.

Rob Z Tobor said...

I have always thought that the Moon Rocks . . . . . . . . HAH HAHHAH HA HAh hah ah ahh ah ah hah aha ha hha hahhah ah

Karen Lange said...

I have wondered why we hadn't returned but figured we would eventually.

Seeing Quisp cereal brings back memories. My sister and I used to eat it all the time! :-) I'm dating myself here, aren't I?

Tina said...

I definitely agree that we need to go back, however, I think the private sector has a better chance of accomplishing this than our...let's just say current government...
Tina @ Life is Good

JoJo said...

No...I don't think they should go back and I definitely don't want to see advertisements flashing in the night sky like some companies have proposed.

Stephen Tremp said...

Rob, you can stop laughing now. Seriously. Stop. Please. Oh well then, just keep laughing.

Karen I loved Quisp as a kid. I think it tasted like Cap'n Crunch, only it got soggy quick.

Tina, I titally agree.

JoJo, I'm shuddering at the thought.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! I remember Quisp cereal.

I think the US will get back to the moon one day.


Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Stephen .. we certainly need to be innovative in as many directions as we can ... and technology opens many doors ..

At some stage we'll be back on the moon ...

Cheers Hilary

Arlee Bird said...

Heck yeah I think we should go back to the moon and set up a base. Better to go to the moon for peaceful reasons than go to Syria or some such place to waste money on a war.

Lee
Wrote By Rote

Peaches Ledwidge said...

I can see a return.

troghead said...

Hi,

I would love all this stuff to happen and I think it will, however...

Any private industry looking to get involved in the mining of the moon will have to look at some numbers..

How much does it cost to get it from the Moon vs how much does it cost to get it from Earth, project forward based on scarcity / cost to collect on Earth vs the same on the Moon.

Bear in mind that viable shipping technology does not exist and has to be developed ( by the private enterprise ).

We will, inevitably, mine the Earth until it is empty and build ways of expanding to other celestial resources quite late in the game.

In the interim, as the exertions of Richard and Elon come to fruition (which are commercially viable ventures today), will be exciting to see how these pan out.

NASA and peers are not commercial airlines so there is no competition, however if this bit makes cash then something more ambitious hits the table.

Reach for the stars, but not anytime soon.

Rick Watson said...

Tang. The breakfast of.....well me when I was about 10 :)

Rick Watson said...

Tang. The breakfast of.....well me when I was about 10 :)

Jen said...

Moon exploration is still the stuff of dreams. I love the idea of traveling to distant planets and galaxies and the moon is a closest neighbor. Why not return?

Private industry just might beat the government and there's nothing wrong with finding alternative locations for sustainable materials. I just start seeing sci-fi movies in my head : the moon being destroyed by industry and throwing off the tides and causing mass chaos on earth! Yep...I watch way too many sci-fi channel specials.

Or maybe I drank too much Tang in my early years...