I know that there are experiments conducted on the Space Shuttle, but it has seemed to be more like a Galactic Fed-Ex as of late. Why haven't we gone back to the moon, like we have in the 60's? Things seemed more simple then.
2007-07-20 01:01:57 · 16 answers · asked by Casimir Effect 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Government reduced NASA budget after the moon missions.
Simple as that.
2007-07-20 01:07:32 · answer #1 · answered by Vincent G 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
The sad thing is that after 25 + years of the Space Shuttle, the most expensive and dangerous manned spacecraft in history, NASA is now reverting back to the simpler, cheaper and safer design begun with Mercury and Gemini. The new Crew Exploration Vehicle (exciting name) resembles the Apollo command module launched by the Saturn rockets back in the 60s. See: http://www.futura-sciences.com/uploads/tx_oxcsfutura/img/cev_overview.jpg
The US wanted a "space plane" originally, but the technology wasn't there. Such a vehicle would take off on a runway at a major airport, reach orbit and then reenter after its mission, gliding in for a landing.
In 1969 (believe it or not) Congress signed off on the design for the Space Shuttle we see today. In my view, an utter waste. But they went for the glamorous look to boost public interest in space travel, I suppose. Predictably, the US went for "big and bad" instead of practical, safe and cost effective.
So the new CEV is under way, and the shuttles are expected to retire by 2010. Right now, it seems, the shuttle serves as garbage truck and Galactic Fed-Ex, instead of as a platform for expanding our presence in space. The farthest it can take us is about 200 miles above the Earth. Really pathetic. Even the Hubble telescope's design was limited by the size of the shuttle cargo bay.
Hopefully, the new vehicle will take us farther, to the Moon and beyond. Below are other links on the new design. We're back to the Mercury - Gemini - Apollo design. If we had stuck with that in 1969, we'd have a functional Moon base today.
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2007-07-20 09:24:14 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Having been to the Moon and proved that it can be done by man, there is little else to prove there. Discussions of setting up a Moon Station or Habitat there are circulating around, but I cannot recall seeing that the budget for such a venture was approved by The US Congress, or any other nation. I may have missed it, but can't recall any news lately.
The cost of a Lunar mission is staggering. That cost must be looked at in relation to the current war on Terror and the fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, Plaestine, Gaza, and Lebanon.
Were all of those trouble spots to quiet down and war debts repaid, there might be money available for "Nice Ventures."
One small item might bear your consideration on this topic...It costs about $10,000 per gram of payload to send something up to the Moon. Think about that...
All of the food, the water, the air, the equipment, the fuel, spacesuits, vehicles, buildings, the people...how many grams is that? I am not sure, but it is a real big number.
2007-07-20 08:33:46 · answer #3 · answered by zahbudar 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Human now can go to the moon, but I guess the problem is that it cost a lot of money to buy materials and experience if something happen.
2007-07-20 10:52:59 · answer #4 · answered by <the unknown> 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i just wish we could live in the moon! Well, the moon is a place that we may get to if we were all astronauts.... i'm sure they have these secret trips to outer space but aren't telling the media. We may know some ideas that other people don't....
2007-07-20 08:14:47 · answer #5 · answered by j324 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Apollo proved humanity is capable of going to the Moon. Going again is a question of committing the necessary resources, the question then is who will do so and why?
2007-07-20 08:14:24 · answer #6 · answered by Peter T 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Wake up son, we are going back to the Moon
2007-07-23 15:26:49 · answer #7 · answered by hilltopobservatory 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NASA just totally faked.Its the greatest fake in the history of NASA.Many astronauts say that we never made to moon.Its very difficult for the astronauts to survive from the deadly radiation from moon(since they didnt have much efficient technology to have a more scientific spacesuit.!!!).And the live video(which NASA argued)..is proved to be a pre-recorded video at area-51.For a clear information go through a documentary named "Did we land on moon?".Hope i have answered to your just question.
2007-07-20 10:20:02 · answer #8 · answered by Sandeep Sagar G 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
2020,is projected for our next moon landing were we will built a permanent moon base at a cost 10 billion or more....i wonder why that. long a wait almost 40 years since we landed on the moon ??
2007-07-20 08:10:23 · answer #9 · answered by seawolf 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
We CAN go to the moon. We already have (six times), and could do it again. But nobody is willing to pay for it right now, so we don't.
2007-07-20 09:28:16 · answer #10 · answered by Dave_Stark 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋