Is Nasa's proposed lunar base to involve a spaceport for deeper space exploration?

Question

i've often thought a lunar spaceport would be a good idea, what do you think?

Answer 1

Yes, a lunar base would help for exploration of Mars. It would be a proving ground for a lot of the technology needed. It may also allow us to use lunar material to build at least part of the rocket on the Moon, and the Moon's lower gravity and lack of an atmosphere make it an ideal place to launch from. The trick would be to build up enough industrial capacity on the Moon to actually make a space ship. We will probably go to Mars the hard way, directly from Earth, before that happens.

Answer 2

this extract below is from the washington post and it answers your question to a T.

------------------''NASA Plans Lunar Outpost
Permanent Base at Moon's South Pole Envisioned by 2024

By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 5, 2006; A01



NASA unveiled plans yesterday to set up a small and ultimately self-sustaining settlement of astronauts at the south pole of the moon sometime around 2020 -- the first step in an ambitious plan to resume manned exploration of the solar system.

The long-awaited proposal envisions initial stays of a week by four-person crews, followed by gradually longer visits until power and other supplies are in place to make a permanent presence possible by 2024.''----------------


It's about time too. since i was a kid i'm been waiting for lunar settlements. i love it when science fiction of yester year becomes science fact of today. using the moon as a stepping stone to the rest of the solar system is an old idea but still a good one. in time they will experiment with new forms of space propulsion on the moon that would be to risky to launch from earth which will help shorten the time in interplanetary travel.
the possibilities are almost endless.

Answer 3

yes, that is the idea. having a base on the moon will allow us to go much further. because it takes soooooooo much fuel to escape the earth's gravity by the time we reach an altitude high enough to float, we've burned an enormous amount of fuel. i don't think we can store any more fuel because the fuel would add to the weight and therefore it would take more fuel to launch.
But, if we can refuel on the moon after we've lost all the weight from the fuel used in launch, we can go much further. Since the moon's gravity is so much less than the earth's, it doesn't take much fuel at all to escape the moon's gravity and we're on our way to the far reaches of the solar system.

Answer 4

I respectfully disagree. both the Mercury and Apollo initiatives drove technological innovation in a way mind-blowing then or for the reason that. pc technologies, GPS, semiconductors, metallurgy, climate, hydroponics, and drugs all skilled large advance by progression of sensible technologies borne from area courses. in case you opt for to appeal to close the position the authorities quite falls short: maximum cancers study. maximum cancers kills many-fold extra human beings each and each 3 hundred and sixty 5 days than terrorism and wars on 2 fronts blended, yet the authorities spends in reality about $5 billon in step with 3 hundred and sixty 5 days in funding study. it truly is type of one month of prices in Iraq.

Answer 5

I think it is an obscene waste of money.Billions,no trillions of $ being spent on a project to get us...where.There is no point going anywhere in our solar system..logistically impossible to go beyond.
Before you give me the big thumbs down, think how much good $1trillion could do here on earth....what could it buy????