Wolf Asks Obama to Lead International Return to Moon

[bananas]

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/wolf-asks-obama-to-hold-white-house-conference-in-2014-on-return-to-moon

Wolf Asks Obama to Hold White House Conference in 2014 on Return to Moon
Marcia S. Smith
Posted: 19-Dec-2013

Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) may be retiring, but that's not till the end of next year. Until then, he clearly plans to remain passionately involved in both civil and national security space policy as evidenced by two letters he sent today. The one addressed to President Obama calls on the President to hold a White House conference early in 2014 to develop an international plan to return humans to the Moon within the next 10 years.

<snip>

He tells the President that "decisions made in the final years of your administration determine whether the international community aligns behind a U.S.-led space exploration program for the next several decades or if they decide to partner with others."

<snip>

"Joining with other partners, we have the capabilities and without question we possess the talent" to return humans to the Moon, he asserts, ending with a hand written note at the bottom of the letter that reads "This is a sincere good faith request which I know would be good for the country. Thank you."

A ministerial-level meeting is, in fact, scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 2014 where U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from more than 30 countries are expected to make statements about future space cooperation. The International Space Exploration Forum (ISEF) will be followed the next day by a "Heads of Agency" meeting sponsored by the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) with the heads of the world's major space agencies. Wolf's letter does not mention either meeting.

[bananas]

1. President Kennedy said Apollo should be an international effort

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/12/china-moon-landing-us-space-race-101278.html

Lost in Space
China just landed on the moon. Is the United States losing its edge?
By JOHN M. LOGSDON
December 19, 2013

<snip>

Next month, the space leaders of the world are assembling in Washington for a “space summit.” The gathering could provide a unique opportunity for the United States—and specifically President Barack Obama—to spell out a new, collaborative vision for the future in space. There is a long-ago precedent for such a step.

In a little remembered address to the United Nations in September 1963, President John F. Kennedy suggested, “Why, therefore, should man’s first flight to the moon be a matter of national competition” between the United States and the Soviet Union? “Surely we should explore whether the scientists and astronauts of our two countries—indeed of all the world—cannot work together in the conquest of space, sending some day in this decade to the moon not the representatives of a single nation, but the representatives of all of our countries.” More than 50 years later, might it be time for Obama to make a similar suggestion?

<snip>

[drm604]

2. Yes!

This is a great idea.

[bananas]

4. I just posted a video of NASA's Morpheus lunar lander test flight in the video forum

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017166216

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Morpheus

Project Morpheus is developing vertical take off and landing test bed vehicles. The vehicles are NASA designed robotic landers that will be able to land 1,100 pounds (500 kg) of cargo on the Moon.[1]

<snip>

In June 2013 the team said they hope to scale the 500 kg payload lander up to produce one able to land a habitat with a crew on places such as the Moon.[19]

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The project estimates that the new engine could lift the ascent stage of a manned lander containing 3-4 people to lunar orbit[38]

<snip>

[bananas]

3. There are three lunar landers being developed in the U.S.

NASA's Morpheus lander recently had it's second untethered test flight.

Golden Spike is working on a two-person lander.

SpaceX is designing it's rockets to land and take off anywhere, including earth, moon, and mars.

[dballance]

5. I think that's a stellar idea.

Pun intended.

[Deep13]

6. Been there, done that...next stop, asteroid land!

Seriously, going to the moon in 2013 is like pledging to defeat Hitler by 2015.

[Aristus]

7. Is Wolf - R prepared to support returning the tax brackets to the levels

they were at in 1969? If not, then he should STFU.

[Deep13]

8. ^^^ Truly.

I think the big recession in the 1970s was caused by ending Apollo and winding down Vietnam.

[unrepentant progress]

9. Nothing to do with the '73 oil crisis or the Nixon shock, eh?

[Deep13]

10. I'm sure the oil crisis didn't help,...

...but then as now, the country used a lot more domestic oil than imported.