Should the U.S. go back to the Moon and use it as a base for space exploration?

Question

Currently, President Bush wants to go back to the Moon to use it as a springboard for further space exploration...rather than using the International Space Station. It's the INTERNATIONAL Space Station. It's a station for all nations to use.

Answer 1

The space station is a high priced toy. It's way to small to mount any real space exploration program. The moon is great place to launch space exploration from. It's low gravity would cut the fuel consumtion for long and deep space missions. It has plenty of room and ample building materials for habitats.
We need to get away from the crummy Space Shuttle. We need a large high altitude air plane to lauch flights to moon from. A piggy back style plane that would carry our space vehichles.
The plane could land on existing runways refuel and go again like passenger jets. The space crafts could then carry the extra fuel and supplies for space exploration.

Answer 2

The Space Station has a limited life span, and the shuttles are done in 2010 (just 3.5 years away). I think its a great idea to use the International Space Station to develop a more permanent space exploration center on the moon.

Answer 3

they say that by basing things on the moon you can have a more permanant base while the international space station will eventually fall back into the atmosphere and burn up, just like MIR and SKYLAB did years ago. Besides, the moons easy gravity would be perfect for assemblies and launches because it doesnt take much to break the pull of the gravity there but there is enough gravity to keep things in place and organized.

Answer 4

I think we should. The reason he isn't saying the ISS is that it is still very small and not a great place to store a lot of supplies. For example, to go to other planets, we need a lot more fuel, and if we can just "ship" all the fuel we need up to the moon, we can then load at the moon, which is also farther out in space than the ISS.

Answer 5

I think that, in the grand scheme of things, not one government official gives a crap about space exploration, and in its current state, it is simply something that is kept alive for furthering military and industrial research, and in the hope that someday we'll have the resources to actually do something with it.

Right now I think the country has more important things to worry about, and even Bush probably knows that too.

Answer 6

The US should go to the moon just to prove that it happened in the first place. Over that, it would be a deeply interesting thing to do and could even put us back on track with an interest in space altogether.

Answer 7

Yes, and while there at it they can build me a house on the near side.

Really though, yes, why not go to the moon. Why not go to Mars. Its a great place to build some new houses, apartments, space stations.

Don't you think it would be fun to live up there?

Answer 8

i agree we should set up a station on the moon, advancing our race into space is essential in order for us to ensure the survival of the human race. with advancing probability that an asteroid will hit the earth it would be wise to have a backup planet, sounds like science fiction, but there are an estimated 300 or so asteroids that pass through our solar system that are large enough to destroy our planet....scary stuff. moon or bust!

Answer 9

If you mean go to outer space and explore from the moon maybe, but i would say look at what happend in the Time Machine movie.

Answer 10

Yes, we should also arm it. If we don't somebody else will; sorry hippies, that's human nature. Imagine a world in which China gets to the moon and arms it first. Scary thought, so we should hurry up and do it while we are still ahead. Being second in that race would be very bad.