Recently, I read in the papers that the US is planning to go back to the moon by 2018. However, I am surprised to learn that the type of vehicle and the equipment used is similar to that used in the 60s and 70s. That is to say, they still plan to use multi stage rockets, lunar modules, etc. This is contrary to what I had read in the papers and journals shortly after the moon shots in the 70s which speculated about large freight spacecrafts and passenger spaceships in the early 21st century.
Why should the US use something so similar to the yesteryears? By the time the US returned to the moon, it will be nearly 50 years later. Shouldn't the US have developed some type of new vehicle by then? Shouldn't they have used a vertical lift off shuttle or something, or even a flying saucer? Shouldn't technology have advanced by then for the US to do so?
2006-07-03
17:00:19
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9 answers
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asked by
GeorgeRock
2
in
Engineering