America is going back to the moon. Image Credit: NASA / James B. Irwin
Vice President Mike Pence has announced that US astronauts will walk on the lunar surface within 5 years.
The ambitious new deadline brings forward plans to return humans to the moon by a full four years, leading to questions over whether or not it can actually be done within such a short time frame.
Pence announced the news at the fifth meeting of the National Space Council in Huntsville, Alabama earlier today where he called on NASA to "reignite the spark of urgency" for space exploration.
"Since the end of Apollo 11, we've forged incredible breakthroughs in our technology that have allowed us to go further, more safely in space than ever before," he said.
"We have the technology to go the moon and renew American leadership in human space exploration."
"Just as the United States was the first nation to reach the moon in the 20th century, so too will we be the first nation to return astronauts to the moon in the 21st century."
Because regardless of the hype we are really far from doing that imo. The thing that keeps us alive here on earth is the planets magnetic field created by the spinning of our molten core. Mars does not have a magnetic field so if you were on the surface of mars and there was a large solar flare you would probably be killed by the radiation. The only way people could survive on mars is by living underground. another problem with moving to mars (or the moon) is the lesser gravity. Humans have evolved to survive and be healthy at a specific level of gravity. Much more or less than th... [More]
I agree I'm sure it would be uncomfortable. Life would be dull. I'm just saying for like earth ending disasters. I'm sure plenty of billionaires would rather be alive on a boring planet/moon then be dead on uninhabitable world, hopefully that doesn't happen anytime soon lol also a question for you because you seem knowledgeable, I understand why your bones would get weaker but why your organs??
I didn't hear the speech. Did Mike Pence say Americans would "go to the Moon" or "land on the Moon"? Sending a craft into lunar orbit might be achievable in the time frame, but I doubt landing people on the Moon would be.
Here is Pence's full statement. He initially says this: Later he is more specific, stating that the plan is to land astronauts on the Moon within five years:
We have to hitch a ride with the Russians to even get to the Space Station. We don't really have ANY manned space flight at this time. Designing and building a new system from scratch isn't something that you can do in a hurry. the last thing we want would be a failure and the old Saturn 5 rockets are not really the way to go. We need a new system that will make the return to the moon something more than just a publicity stunt.
You are a bit behind the times. NASA has already designed and is building a rocket called the Space Launch System (SLS). It is derived from shuttle technology and more powerful than the Saturn V. The spacecraft that will carry astronauts to the Moon and beyond has also been designed. It's called the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) and it made an unmanned test flight, called Exploration Flight Test-1 (EFT-1) as far back as 2014. The SLS/Orion programme is behind schedule but the first, unmanned, test of the combined launcher/spacecraft system, known as Exploration Mission-1 is due to o... [More]
Then there is the Israeli Beresheet...a Lunar Lander created by Israel that is scheduled to touch down on the moon April 11. And other US based companies including Moon Express and Astrobotics...we are well on our way to the moon! And with good reason...there is an international space race of sorts going on behind the scenes. Russia wants to be on the moon by '31. And, there is a deeper reason why there is all the chatter about getting to the moon...Helium 3. Mining Helium 3 on the moon is a huge motivator for everyone. So, we have the technology...lunar landers are being built and... [More]
Should be pretty easy to do that in the time period - after all, Pence said they only have to land them there.... Unlike that crazy scheme from JFK, where not only did they promise to put them on the Moon, he also promised to bring them back........
Because we are talking about the tens of billions rather than a billion to send a rover to mars. Not to mention the 100k to order a pizza. Mars does have a magnetic field but it is erratic or not uniform like Earth... https://www.zmescience.com/space/mars-magnetic-tail-0423/ Eventhough this is from NASA it does show that some areas could or are well protected, so stand in the right area and certain death wouldn't ensure if a flare,...ummm, flared.
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