Astronauts explain why nobody has visited the moon in more than 45 years -- and the reasons are depre

[Judi Lynn]

Dave Mosher and Hilary Brueck 10m

Landing 14 people on the moon remains one of NASA's greatest achievements, if not the greatest.

Astronauts collected rocks, took photos, performed experiments, planted some flags, and then came home. But those week-long stays during the Apollo program didn't establish a lasting human presence on the moon.

More than 45 years after the most recent crewed moon landing — Apollo 17 in December 1972 — there are plenty of reasons to return people to Earth's giant, dusty satellite and stay there.

Researchers and entrepreneurs think a crewed base on the moon could evolve into a fuel depot for deep-space missions, lead to the creation of unprecedented space telescopes, make it easier to live on Mars, and solve longstanding scientific mysteries about Earth and the moon's creation. A lunar base could even become a thriving off-world economy, perhaps one built around lunar space tourism.



More:
http://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7?r=UK&IR=T

[brush]

1. A good place for an inescapable prison for traitors too.

[Xipe Totec]

3. New Australia nt

[lapfog_1]

5. the moon is a harsh mistress

robert heinlein

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_a_Harsh_Mistress

(complete with both Russian and Australian penal colony references)

[lastlib]

7. I've got a couple suggestions for the first inmates, too!

The whole tRumpski clan, Uncle Vlad, Manafart, Stone, Flynn, Papadopolous, 22 russky indictees, Natalya V. and her henchmen,.......

Plus the enablers--McConnell, Ryan, Nunes, Goodlatte, Gowdy, Rohrabacher, Gorsuck--hell, the whole RNC, the whole congressional majority......

We can add others as needed..... A few MAGA troglodytes just for examples.....

[AnnieBW]

2. A Space Station Orbiting the Moon Would Be Better

I saw a presentation by sci-fi author and NASA consultant David Brin not too long ago. He explained that the amount of fuel needed to escape Lunar gravity makes a permanent base on the surface pretty unnecessary. It would be far easier, cheaper, and use less energy to have a space station orbiting the Moon, and have an elevator down to the Lunar surface. This way, we could use the station as a jumping-off point to where the REAL goodies are - the Asteroid Belt.

[Sneederbunk]

4. 12 not 14.

[krispos42]

6. Yeah, I caught that too.

7 missions were launched with intentions to land but only 6 made it on the moon.