NASA is planning another Moon landing, but is having a hard time. Did NASA lost the 60's technology ?

Question

Couldn't NASA just replicate the 60's moon landing ?

Answer 1

well the thing is some of my professors and friends thing that the moon landing was just a hoax, and there is some scientific evidence that points to this idea!
so the question is better if they'll ever do it.....
they certainly didn't loose technology, maybe they never had it!

Answer 2

Yes, Apollo 11 (and 5 later missions) did go to the moon. NASA has the technology to rreturn to the moon. What they don't have is the money. A (brief) history: following the Apollo programa decision was made to develop an advanced launch spacraft--the Shuttle. The idea was to have a cost-effective and reliable spacecraft, develop and build a permanent space station. With that, safer and cheaper trips to the moon would be possible--eventulally a lunar base and trips to Mars. Congress would not fund the design recommended by NASA--instead funding a "el cheapo" R&D program. And got what they paid for. Since the "Republican revolution"--1994-2006--the GOP has repeatedly gutted NASA budgets, has canceled every advanced spacecraft project NASA had or has tried to start. At the present time, Bush's "return to the moon program" is pure propaganda--there is as yet no funding for an actual program. The Chinese, on the other hand, do have a well-funded lunar program that is making good headway on developing a lunar-capable spacecraft. Isn't outsourcing wonderful?

Answer 3

Technology is more about the engineering skills and scientific knowledge needed to do something. No, that was not lost. What was lost was the infrastructure to build the Saturn V. Nobody's going keep supply and assembly lines intact for that long without being used. They were all cannibalized and retooled for the shuttle program and the satellite launching rockets. All that stuff could be reconstructed, though, but that would be like rebuilding a Willy Jeep factory. The Willy Jeep was an amazing work horse of an SUV. Many people would absolutely love to have a new one. However, things change: engineering standards, tooling, alloys, safety and fuel efficiency standards, quality control procedures, computer control systems, sensor technology, environment impact requirements. All these thing are folded into an engineering design that determine what the most practical way to solve a problem at a particular time in history is. That's pretty much what lead to the crew exploration vehicle that's going to be built.

Answer 4

The technology was not lost, but the hardware had no other uses than going to the moon and so no more was built. To recreate the Saturn V and Apollo would still cost billions of dollars and not work for the planned moon base missions anyhow.

Answer 5

All the technology is gone and more importantly, it's all obsolete. Do you want to travel to the moon guided by a computer with a 1 MegaHertz clock and 4 K of memory ?? Hand held calculators are more powerful.

It would be like trying to carry on a NASCAR race using model T's.

Answer 6

They are not just planning a moon landing. They are planning to build a space station on the moon. There's a little more to it than just landing.

Answer 7

we are replicating the older technology..(See Project Orion)--except we are making the technology better (and the spacecraft will be powered off solar power instead of a nuclear generator.

...it's a dump truck compared to the Apollo spacecraft, Orion is a much bigger capsule

Answer 8

I'm gonna scream the next time somebody brings up the "moon landing hoax" (not your fault, but it comes up every time somebody asks about the moon)

PEOPLE WALKED ON THE MOON AND THERE IS NO CREDIBLE EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 9

maybe cause the all the nasa's nazis are dead?
j/k =)