If you believe they put a man on the moon …
… or even (especially?) if you don’t, this one’s for you.
In 2008, NASA says it will send a “Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter” into low orbit around the moon. While it’s primary mission will be to scout for the next manned lunar mission (ostensibly planned for around 2020), it also will do something to defeat those wacky conspiracy theories about how and why the United Stats allegedly faked its moon missions.
It’s going to photograph what astronauts left on the moon, “providing the first recognizable images of Apollo relics since 1972,” NASA says.
There are six landing sites scattered across the moon’s surface, but even the Hubble telescope can’t photograph them.
Apparently, NASA says, the fact that they haven’t been photographed since the Nixon administration adds fuel to the conspiracy theory fires.
Overall, though, the LROC mission is not really about the past.
It will sample the Moon’s radiation environment, search for patches of frozen water, make laser maps of lunar terrain and, using LROC, photograph the Moon’s entire surface. By the time astronauts return, they’ll know the best places to land and much of what awaits them.
Two key targets: the moon’s poles. Why? Potential locations for moon bases, of course.
– posted by Dan Dupont
M-O-O-N… That spells moon…
We have had the technology for a long time to accomplish ‘just about’ anything we wanted to do, within reason. I am extremely excited about the prospect of our manned return to the moon. The accusations made by a ‘cat rancher’ and his untrustworthy sidekick cannot be justified. Our exit from lunar exploration was a bit of a let down since the moon holds so much potential for us as a species. I will eagerly await the developements of this planned return as it progresses.
This makes more sense than what seems to be useless trips to Mars. A purposeful trip to the moon, hmm.…intrigueing. Perhaps this time it won’t be in the name of a glorified rock hobby!
We could have done this 30 years ago. It’s about time. We’ve got the space station next the moon base. After that who knows how far we can go. I’ve always dreamed of taking a trip to the moon. Soon it may be possible.
Just to add fuel to the conspiracy fire…let’s say they do “photograph” old 1972 Apollo mission remnants. With today’s computer technology, it’s nothing a good Graphic Artist and Photoshop couldn’t come up with.
Jeff
In 1961 we decided to send a man to the moon, and by 1969 it was done. In 2004 we want to send a man to the moon, and it won’t happen until 2020?!
Let’s see here, It’s July 2005, at the time I read this. I am glad I heard of it because I want to man this mission. I have always dreamed of going to the moon or far out in space. It seems far fetched to average day people. Yet to people like me who actually accomplish their dreams, it sounds pretty tangible! Now I have something to look forward to, in my career with NASA. For now I am just va determined Full time college student. But in the near future, perspectively by NASA’s time frame… You’ll see my name in headlines, “Christine Sifuentes”. Call me ridiculous or a dreamer, I just call it long term planning! I totally agree with this mission, because it seems like in extraordinary opportunity for America to flourish, especially during these times! I feel like I was made to have pride for the USA. I like to say I was BORN INTO THR NAVY, my Dad was an enlisted sailor since 4 years before I was born, and he’s still in! I may have never been active duty or in ROTC, but I have lived a military life day in and day out. I know how it works, and I am currently heading for a masters or PHD, and anticipating my full fledged space jump suit! I think everyone should support this AWESOME inquiry NASA’s doing for not only America, but for history of the World!
Sincerely,
Christine Sifuentes
This is enough to make me want to buy Alpha Centauri (a space colonization strategy game)!
As any soldier can tell you, after the food concerns are fixed, communications should be high priority to counteract the social issues that will need addressed. People tend to act a bit strangely when left by themsleves too much. E-mail & video conferencing will keep morale high. After all, we all need to stay in touch w/ family.
It would be interesting to see if ruggedized greenhouses would work on the moon.
Clearly the areas most often in sunlight should be reserved for solar collectors for energy gathering, then storage. Habitation structures can radiate around this portion of the moon.
If it’s cold enough, refrigeration shouldn’t be as much as an issue as long as high sanitation standards are followed. Sounds like the chlorine bleach & other cleaning supply manufacturers will have an additional market opening up!
On that topic, we can use the same principles of heat pump/cooling systems for climate control.
It may be best to have diverse endeavors to diminish security concerns in habitation structures. Or, maybe some enterprising companies can set up security contracts, as long as they are clearly neutral. So, once again, we have to show diversity.
Every nation involved should realize that it is in everyone’s best interest to fully cooperate to simply survive together there.
Let’s just face it…
We all got conned by NASA.
If we want to send people through the radiation belts outside our planet they’ll be fried in a matter of a minute due to extreme radiation.
Even with todays technology astronauts will not be able to survive this radiation in a space shuttle or a capsule in which they claimed to have used in 1969..which was only a mm thick aluminum plate.…come on, who are they trying to fool?
And what if they did pull it off,..suppose…
Why than, did we never turn back again.
If it was all real events,..shouldn’t we have had a daily ‘airline’ hopping up and down with passengers by now?
Noooo, maybe just maybe they’ll manage to come up with an idea to get people to the moon in 2020..
Hold on…wait a minute..
How did they do it in 1969 than?
With all them primitive computers and unstable rockets…something smells fishy wouldn’t y’all think?
And still people believe this shit?
Wake up.
It’s a lie,..and very big lie..
And NASA has a problem indeed.
Once you told a huge lie to the world… you can’t ‘de-lie’it anymore.
I think it’s a joke…and people who still believe in it…O well…dream on people.