So.

If we've been to the moon and back, space and back, have had numerous manned projects, have manned space stations, etc.

Why don't we have a moon base? We've had over 30 years...

A moon base could be used for dozens of reasons...so, why not?

Didn't Dr. Evil say the same thing?

I think that it will happen in time, but as we have budget constraints for space travel these days and no instant payoff for private investors to make it happen; nasa will have to get off it's duff and start working on reasons why we would benefit from doing so...

Other than the "cool factor" of saying that we had a moon base...

In addition to that, having a 'moon base' was never a real goal of NASA. We had one mission and that was to beat the Russians to the moon. We accomplished our goal and after we had done it a few times the public lost interest. Now that we have our eyes set on exploring Mars, a moon base seems a logical thing to do. But don't get your hopes up about Mars just yet either. We are still struggling with keeping the space station in good working order.

private spaceflight, private companies are now taking up more interest in space. I think private companies will have a big impact in space travel and visits to space.

Within 5 years It will be possible to take a flight into space for around $3000 if richard branson gets the everyone who said they will go up in space ship 2 to keep to their word and buy a ticket.

I believe we will get to the moon within 10 years.

Space travel will end up like the first airplanes. After some inspired and creative people come up with a cheap way to do it, big business will step in, take it over, make billions of dollars, Then sell the patents to the Chinese so we can buy it back from them. Dose Wal Mart have a Travel Service to MARS.

Joc is right.

However, build a landing platform (the length of the shuttle) in LOE.
Ship it to the moon. It can have thrusters to land or take off, horizontally.
Then you launch SS, and attach the shuttle to another booster, in LOE.
That booster takes it into lunar orbit.
The shuttle detaches from the spent booster, docks with the landing
platform, and then goes horizontally to the surface.

The idea is to have a system of extracting lunar fuels from the surface.
You recycle the shuttle boosters, and keep them running on Moon propellant.
All part of a complete lunar program to mine the moon, or to help
develop it as as a base of operations.

The cost of actually setting up a lunar base is astronomical and most governments aren`t willing to spend the amount required but hopefully we will all unite for this shared dream and build a lunar base, it will be integral to our races survival in space!

I personally believe the best bet will be space elevators to both get us off the Earth and onto the moon. This would eliminate a great deal of the construction and maintanence issues concerning a runway on the moon

Fly Me to the Moon
Look what they did to poor Richard Nixon, thats the thanks he gets for being the only president ever to put a Mon on the Moon, everybody says hes a crook. After that why would any other president try it.
Everybody knows the hardest part about flying to the Moon is passing the bill through Congress. Only LBJ could do that, he had congress in his pocket, he treated them like dogs. There will never be another LBJ, it'll languish in committee.
Zeitgeist. If you can remember the 60's you weren't there. Back then people were tripping all over the place. Compare the music of that era with todays crap. The sixties are over maan, come back to Earth. They're never coming back so you can stop your dreaming.
Trekadecaphobia, the next man on the Moon will be the thirteenth, remember Apollo 13. Given the recent emphasis on safety no astronaut would take such chances with their lives.
You might as well accept the fact the era of Moon walking is over, you will not live to see people on the Moon, if you want to go into Space you'll have to go to the Russian Space Station.

Lunar Landing? Do Research Van Allen Radiation Belt!

What about it? All the radiation problems were dealt with way back during the Apollo missions. Why would they be a problem now?

Radiation problems are only a concern for manned missions to mars and beyond. Missions to the moon are far safer with radiation no where near being the main concern!

looter you are totally wrong.

today, More than ever we have many advanced technologies to take us to the moon and far beyond much more safely. Within the next 10-20 years Nanotechnology will mature and the market for it will be worth a few Trillion dollars.

This technnology will sort out many of the problems with Weight and strength of the spacecraft.

Using carbon nanotubes to build parts or most of the spaceship will make it 100x stronger than the toughest steel and with only be 1/6th of the weight.

So we will be able to lift off earth MUCH more cheaply just from using technologies emerged from nanotech.

http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/te...ace_041222.html


we will be exploring a lot more than the moon and mars in our life time

because our life-time... well most of the younger generation will live a hell of a lot longer than previous generations

we are right at the edge of a BIOTECHNOLOGY, NANOTECH, INFORMATION TECH revoloution.

we might be able to live, hundreds even thousands of years.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4003063.stm

When LBJ cracked his whip, those congressmen flew, and if he said fly to the Moon, they would fly to the Moon. Why should they be afraid of some radiation they couldn't see or understand, when they had LBJ to contend with. If you don't understand that then you don't understand how congress works. They cant even build a pyramid with todays technology and they built several thousands of years ago, so much for your high tech!

you think thats high tech? right...

We are have developed material, 100 stronger than steel, as thin as a piece of paper or a t-shirt made with the use of nanotech, and can stop a 45 cal bullet. thats not high tech? yea okok

We are working on nano assemblers. Ever heard of them?

While this tech might be a bit away yet. It will enable you to get something built on command.

eg. You give it raw materials. the world is made up of around 100 atoms, nano self assemblers would assemble the atoms into the correct and pefect order. Therefor you could see a house building itself. Or a rocket building itself based on Instructions from a Computer, grab carbon atoms from the air and make diamonds grow on trees if you wish . basicly making diamonds from thin air. Each copy of a product made by nano assemblers would be 100% exact copy by the molecular level.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/...l?oneclick=true

You can find a lot of info on nanotech. just google

The Chinese btw have their goal to set up such a base on the moon in the next 30 years.
That's where their space stragety aims at. It is more than likely that the US will have no choice but to return into the space race to beat the Chinese.
If that'll happen, the Russians won't stand a side, and will join too, against the Chinese and not with the US (matter of Russian pride ).
And lets not forget please the European and Japanese space plans which are now taking form. I believe that by 2015 we will see the first independent Japanese and European astronauts.

The real space race hasn't even started yet .

Indeed it hasn`t Erikl, lets just hope that when this space race really hots up that the competitors dont resort to violence!