why did NASA say that it would take scientists 15 years to go back to the Moon?

Question

NASA said that it would take scientists 15 years from now to design and build a craft to go back to the Moon. Why when we have allegedly been there 6 times already?

Why did the blueprints and plans for the Lunar Module and Moon Buggy get destroyed if this was one of History's greatest accomplishments?

thank you amansscientiae for telling me i need help for simply asking questions and not always believing what "big brother" tells me

Answer 1

For some reason, the idiots at NASA destroyed the infrastructure used to build our species greatest technological achievement, the Saturn V rocket. I guess they wanted to prevent people from cancelling the piece of junk shuttle that's flying today. That sh!tbag of a rocket is the biggest piece of junk to emerge from our space program. The engineers who built it should hang their heads in shame.

Answer 2

Building a moon rocket requires the manufacture of thousands of parts that have to work together. Most parts have to be built specially for the rocket, built to certain high standards. You do not use off the shelf components.
For each of these thousands of components you need to design and get approval from a government bureaucracy. Contracts have to be negotiated and awarded. Many parts need a new industrial base to construct. People have to be hired and trained. Entire new divisions in companies have to be created... It is an endless list.
The public lost interest in the moon even before the moon missions were over. Several missions were scrubbed. Plans and blue prints for items that will likely never be built again take up a lot of room. Useless things that take up space are tossed. The machinery used to build the rockets took up space, wasn't good for anything else, and got sold for scrap. The people who put the whole lunar project together were no longer needed, and lost their jobs. Most are now retired or dead. The institutional memory was lost.

The original lunar program was fed by large government sums and the best brains of the generation. Bush's political statements about going to the moon and mars are political happy talk. He's not asking congress for the money. Its just political grandstanding. The money isn't there, the optimism of the 60s isn't there, and the national feeling of beating the Russians and living up to JFK's dreams isn't there.

I personally feel that 15 years is a best case scenario. The political will isn't there. The mid-60s were a unique point in history and a miracle of technology was achieved by a confident nation. Those days are gone forever.

Answer 3

In the 60's NASA had a limited timeframe and practically unlimited budget. It was very important for us to beat Russia there. Today, NASA doesn't have nearly the same level of budget. Going back there doesn't need to be accomplished quickly.

Reusing the saturn 5 rocket and apollo modules from the 60's would be silly. It's very old technology. We have far more advanced technology today. We've already designed the rocket and spacecraft.

This time we are doing something a little different. We are taking 4 astronauts this time and all 4 will land. Additionally they will be staying for a much longer period of time building up permanent facilities there that may eventually be staffed by people who will live there for long periods of time for research.

We're not just redoing apollo, this is something completely different with different goals and different challenges. Additionally, NASA is focussing on other programs at the same time, not just moon exclusively. We are still building the ISS and we have a Hubble repair mission coming up next year, plus other exploration missions like New Horizons and others.

And to Science Geek: Of course the shuttle is a piece of crap. It's the only craft ever built that can transport 7 people and a large payload into space and can interact with it. It's the only vehicle ever created that can build the space station that is doing a good deal of useful science. It put the Hubble in orbit and repaired on numerous occiasions. The fleet has flown over 100 missions over a period of 25 years with only 2 accidents that were based more on negligence than design flaws.

It's only the most advanced piece of hardware ever created by man and the longest running manned space flight program in existence. It has probably done more for manned space flight than any other program man has come up with. But yeah, it's horrible and is the worst thing we've ever built.

Answer 4

It will take longer this time, because now they are raising the bars. Now, they will go further, and with new technology they can get more. Scientists still have to make a new space craft and any other stuff they need. Also, the International Space Station is not complete; some segments still need to me added.

To your other question, I am not sure if it is true, but if it is history has its own ways of doing what it does. ^^

Answer 5

It wouldn't take 15 years to go back, IF we would pour an equivalent amount of money in it as we did for the Apollo program. But we aren't. The limit is simply one of money.

As for the old plans, they wouldn't help you. None of the infrastructure to build any of that old equipments exists. Where, for instance, would you get an IBM mainframe from 1965 for ground control? After all, we are also not getting the plans for old dutch wind mills out if we want to build new wind turbines.

As far as your paranoia about the Apollo program is concerned, well, if your mind is messed up and you can't tell what's real and what's not, that is your personal mental health problem. See a psychiatrist if you need and want help. They are way better equipped to help you (and trust me, you do need help), than we are.

Answer 6

They they went to the moon is like riding a model T ford and is very dangerous.The shuttle is not designed to do that trip . We did go to the Moon ,how else do u explain the special mirrors that they left on the moon to track with lasers. Very accurate readings as that is a project I worked on.

Answer 7

Well if we rasied taxes sky high and gave that money to NASA then we could be there in a year or two.

Answer 8

There is no "Big Brother". You are a hopeless paranoid. I would suggest laying off the mind altering drugs for a while. There are much more productive things to occupy your mind if you dump the trash out of it once in a while.

Answer 9

Job security.