Comments on: From The Earth To The Moon http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/03/02/from-the-earth-to-the-moon/ Summum nec metuas diem, nec optes - Marcus Valerius Martialis Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:27:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: crosspatch http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/03/02/from-the-earth-to-the-moon/comment-page-1/#comment-55905 crosspatch Fri, 02 Mar 2007 19:13:07 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/03/02/from-the-earth-to-the-moon/#comment-55905 There are many practical advantages for having a base on the moon. Imagine someone in a long zero-G mission ... they can make a stop at the moon to get used to gravity before going back to Earth. Also, life is a little better where there is some gravity. Your sinuses drain properly, for example. You can set something on a table and it will stay there. You can play cards and checkers and sit in a chair. When you drop something, you know where it goes ... DOWN. At the same time the moon is great for certain kinds of manufacturing where you don't want atmospheric contamination. The moon's crust contains a lot of titanium, it might make a great place to manufacture small precision titanium components. Also, if you are sending things out of Earth orbit, the moon makes a great launch pad. Normally rockets get a boost from the Earth's rotational speed. The rotational velocity of the Earth is a little less than 500 meters/sec. The orbital velocity of the moon is about 1000 meters/sec. A rocket launched from the moon gets about twice the "starting" velocity boost if launched from the moon in addition to not having to push its way through the atmosphere. That also means that a rocket doesn't experiance maximum buffeting (or any buffeting) from shockwaves when it reaches the speed of sound. It doesn't need to be streamlined and have all kinds of fairings to make it aerodynamic either. So, we can use smaller and lighter launch vehicles to get probes and manned missions out of earth orbit from the moon than we could from Earth. Craters on the far side could be turned into the best and most sensative radio telescopes imaginable. They form a natural parabolic shape in which to build a receiving antenna. The moon is a great place for optical telescopes too without using fuel and gyroscopes and reaction wheels to keep them stable. The benefits of the moon are untapped and many. There are many practical advantages for having a base on the moon. Imagine someone in a long zero-G mission … they can make a stop at the moon to get used to gravity before going back to Earth. Also, life is a little better where there is some gravity. Your sinuses drain properly, for example. You can set something on a table and it will stay there. You can play cards and checkers and sit in a chair. When you drop something, you know where it goes … DOWN. At the same time the moon is great for certain kinds of manufacturing where you don’t want atmospheric contamination. The moon’s crust contains a lot of titanium, it might make a great place to manufacture small precision titanium components.

Also, if you are sending things out of Earth orbit, the moon makes a great launch pad. Normally rockets get a boost from the Earth’s rotational speed. The rotational velocity of the Earth is a little less than 500 meters/sec. The orbital velocity of the moon is about 1000 meters/sec. A rocket launched from the moon gets about twice the “starting” velocity boost if launched from the moon in addition to not having to push its way through the atmosphere. That also means that a rocket doesn’t experiance maximum buffeting (or any buffeting) from shockwaves when it reaches the speed of sound. It doesn’t need to be streamlined and have all kinds of fairings to make it aerodynamic either. So, we can use smaller and lighter launch vehicles to get probes and manned missions out of earth orbit from the moon than we could from Earth.

Craters on the far side could be turned into the best and most sensative radio telescopes imaginable. They form a natural parabolic shape in which to build a receiving antenna. The moon is a great place for optical telescopes too without using fuel and gyroscopes and reaction wheels to keep them stable.

The benefits of the moon are untapped and many.

]]> By: old_dawg http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/03/02/from-the-earth-to-the-moon/comment-page-1/#comment-55887 old_dawg Fri, 02 Mar 2007 14:10:38 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/03/02/from-the-earth-to-the-moon/#comment-55887 The Space Shuttle and the ISS have been mired in politics and NASA empire-building for far too long, but they have accomplished important things. The Hubble Telescope could never have been deployed or repaired without the Space Shuttle. The ISS has demonstrated the ability to sustain long-term operations in orbit, as well as pioneering orbital construction techniques. Both are necessary for manned exploration to other planets. All that being said, you are entirely correct in saying that it is time to move to the next phase. NASA is stuck in neutral and, according to my friends who work there, has lost the creative edge it has in the early days. That is the first thing that must change. The Space Shuttle and the ISS have been mired in politics and NASA empire-building for far too long, but they have accomplished important things. The Hubble Telescope could never have been deployed or repaired without the Space Shuttle. The ISS has demonstrated the ability to sustain long-term operations in orbit, as well as pioneering orbital construction techniques. Both are necessary for manned exploration to other planets.
All that being said, you are entirely correct in saying that it is time to move to the next phase. NASA is stuck in neutral and, according to my friends who work there, has lost the creative edge it has in the early days. That is the first thing that must change.

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