Why has NASA never sent the space shuttle around the moon???

Question

Is NASA covering up somthing??

How hard would it be to add a extra fuel tank in the cargo bay.
Purpose to all this if they sent the shuttle around the moon it could take pictures of the Apolo landing sites and stop all the nasty whispers that Nasa never sent men to the moon.
Over 20% of American's beleive that the moon landing were fake. Its up to nasa to prove they did. and all they have to do is take some pictures of the moon. How hard would that be..?

Answer 1

Because it wasnt designed for this purpose! Who gives a chit what the idiots think? The two backwoods clowns who started all this so called fake crap were a couple farmers with little technical knowledge! There is NO reason to go to the moon at this time! The focus is on the ISS. We need to experiment in zero G to prepare ourselves for a trip to the Red planet! As far as the "We faked it" BS, How do you suppose we put the laser reflector up there? We constantly monitor the distance of the moon from us through a laser reflector placed on the moon! I watched the first trip to the moon along with the first sub orbital flights of John Glenn. The idiots who believe this didnt happen dont have enough intelligence to make sandwiches! Give these brave travellers their deserved credit! The special effects tech back then wasnt even close to being able to fake these scenes! It would have cost 50 times as much to fake it as it did to go!

Answer 2

The Shuttle has never gone to the moon becuase NASA didn't design it to go around the moon. It was meant to do what it does. The idea of just strapping on some extra fule tanks is just plain stupid. Just like the people that have the incredibly ignorant idea that men never went to the moon.

Answer 3

The prospect of space flight can seem "fake" at times, however, I can assure you it's real. The Earth protects its life from solar radiation with a radiant electromagnetic field, the same field found from a standing magnet. This is the same concept used in todays space craft and so it protects its occupants from "Short" exposures to intense and very deadly solar radiations. IF the space shuttle were able to tow a fuel load it would absolute be capable of going around the moon. But only if were in fact towing a fuel supply, oxygen supply, and food ect for it's crew. But the real question is, why would you want to spend multiple billions of dollars just to fly six people around the moon? Not very practical, economically.

Answer 4

Problem is, how do you know that they wouldn't fake that as well ? It's not only Americans that think the whole thing was faked, most of the rest of the world do to !

What I'd like to know is why ESA or another space power have never sent anything to the moon - probably for the reasons already stated, the cosmic radiation would kill everything and everyone on board !

Answer 5

It requires way too much fuel to get to the moon. That is why the apollo missions used a staged rocket to get there. The first stages were required to just escape earths gravity, the the next module allowed the craft to accelerated and reach lunar orbit.
The shuttle and the giant orange fuel tank contain enough fuel to reach orbit. Once the tank is dropped off the shuttle is limited to minor course adjustment and the rest is for preparation for re-entry.

Answer 6

Because the space shuttle was designed to build the space station orbiting earth and also for low orbital flights.
The new Orion craft which is going back to the older style space craft will be taking man back to the moon in I believe 2016 onwards, and if you have a spare $1000,000.00+ then you can joint the trip as a space tourist!
So no NASA is not covering up a thing!

Answer 7

I agree that maybe something is being covered up.. I never understood the moon buggy. "we're going to the moon, we'll be needing a car then". Of all the things to take to the moon!

But I guess it would be point less to send the space shuttle around the moon, maybe it would be better to build a runway first and land there.

Answer 8

This is a question which will be easier answered if you actually do go to a space station. There are rock samples in the museums at space centres and there are astronauts or cosmonauts who are ready to talk about their experiences. we have satellites images of every planet including the recently innovated dwarf planet Pluto. Humans built space stations that you can live for couple of years. Surely, we have got the ability to send a man on the moon

Answer 9

Basically, it's because the Shuttle was designed to be a cargo vehicle for Earth orbit, not as an extra-orbital vehicle. It uses the lift capability to take *cargo* into orbit, not fuel.

It's kind of like saying, why don't they use an 18-wheeler to drive cotton from the U.S.A. to England -- because the truck isn't designed to float on water.

Answer 10

The saturn v rockets made 2 burns to get to the moon the shuttles main engines can only burn once and cannot acheive the speed needed to break earths orbit it was desinged to put satilites and stuff in orbit not for space exploration.