Governments 'too inefficient' for Moon return

[Waspie_Dwarf]

Governments 'too inefficient' for future Moon landings

One of the last men to set foot on the Moon has said that private enterprise will be the driving force for a return to the lunar surface.

Harrison Schmitt told the BBC that governments are "too inefficient" to send humans back to the Moon.

Mr Schmitt's comments come on the 40th anniversary of Nasa's last manned mission to the Moon, Apollo 17.

The veteran astronaut said that companies would soon embark on a new commercially-driven space race.

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[Chooky88]

I've believed this for a decade or so.

[Arbenol]

I'm not sure it's because governments are too inefficient. I think it's because they've got their priorities ar$e-end upwards. Especially when you consider how much some countries spend on their war machines and the futile war on drugs.

It's sad, but the next major steps in space exploration and settlement will come from private enterprise. Some will do this out of entirely philanthropic motives, but I fear they will be in the minority. How long before we see a giant yellow "M" embellishing our moon?

Edited December 7, 2012 by Arbenol68

[OldN8Dogg]

I personally think that having the private sector advance our ability to use the resources off our planet is a good thing. I'd be much more in favour of mining asteroids, but as you have to start somewhere, the moon might be a good "classroom" for off planet resource gathering. I would want to see heavy regulation, since you don't want to mess too much with the thing that regulates our tides...hehe... But since it is clear that we are running out of resources here, we'd be stupid not to be searching for resources elsewhere. Let the private sector find the efficient, profitable way of doing it, and let the government regulate to ensure our safety. In a perfect world, that would be the winning combination.