Russia could build manned lunar base

[danielost]

It may come down to a race. This time the prize will be total domination of the planet.

[Parsec]

That is a rather cynical view. Much scientific research and exploration is undertaken with neither military or financial advantage being the goal. The ISS and the Large Hadron Collider, polar exploration and the ascent of Everest immediately come to mind.

It is in man's nature to explore, whether that be physically exploring new frontiers or pushing the limits of scientific knowledge. A return to the Moon is inevitable, it is a matter of when, not if.

At the moment Helium-3 is a red herring. It may have a use in fusion reactors in the future. Most most experts believe that working fusion reactors are still fifty years away. Currently ³He has no practical use and therefore no commercial value. It is possible that I will live long enough to see Lunar mining, but it is unlikely that it will be ³He that will be mining for.

I don't disagree with you.

If all of humanity pooled their resources together instead of competing, we could see some major scientific advancements.

Although competition helps to keep technology on its toes.

I partially disagree with you: competition (at least if we're talking between nations) helps keep politics on its toes, not technology.

Research is selfsustained, it's the improvement of the current status, a further step ahead.

It's lurking round the corner.

If it wasn't for politics, I don't say that the moon would still be untouched, but probably we'd arrived there much later.

Unfortunately, in this world politics moves the money and decides where it goes, not science.

What Waspie writes is true, but it's also true that without a political push great endeavors travel at a much slower speed.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

If it wasn't for politics, I don't say that the moon would still be untouched, but probably we'd arrived there much later.

Unfortunately, in this world politics moves the money and decides where it goes, not science.

We may have arrived there much later, but we would probably have stayed for good.

Apollo was not about exploration, it was about beating the Soviet Union. Once it had achieved it's goal it was cancelled. An international, science lead programme would not have lost interest immediately.

Apollo was the right idea for the wrong reasons. It was NASA's finest hour but NASA has been suffering for it ever since. NASA has had no real sense of direction since Apollo ended. It is pushed and pulled around on the whim of successive administrations, all of whom only look to the next election, not the long term future.

In terms of NASA I have to agree with what Winston Churchill said:

It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.

[DONTEATUS]

ITs not the H3 we should be worried about ! Its the H2O remember Water Is not free !

[danielost]

We may have arrived there much later, but we would probably have stayed for good.

Apollo was not about exploration, it was about beating the Soviet Union. Once it had achieved it's goal it was cancelled. An international, science lead programme would not have lost interest immediately.

Apollo was the right idea for the wrong reasons. It was NASA's finest hour but NASA has been suffering for it ever since. NASA has had no real sense of direction since Apollo ended. It is pushed and pulled around on the whim of successive administrations, all of whom only look to the next election, not the long term future.

In terms of NASA I have to agree with what Winston Churchill said:

As I hace said before any company supported by the govrnment dis in the end.

Let's hope planet x can go th distance. Let the gvernment play traffic control.

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Let's hope planet x can go th distance. Let the gvernment play traffic control.

You are making no sense. What has Planet X got to do with it?

Or do you mean SpaceX? If so my question still stands. SpaceX, as far as I know, have no plans for lunar exploration. They have their eyes firmly fixed on Mars.

[danielost]

Yes, I meant space x . Your the one who said they were building a new heavy rocket.