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Posted By: Mark Mission to the Moon - 26th May 2007 1:06am
As the American Administration have announced, they want to put a man on the moon.

Can they do it, your thoughts?
Posted By: BMW Joe Re: Mission to the Moon - 26th May 2007 3:12pm
You have me well confused with this topic as I've heard nothing about this.

And I still can't find what the hell you are on about? Please let me know lol
Posted By: Mark Re: Mission to the Moon - 26th May 2007 8:27pm
Sorry i started and got distracted, and then realised its from 2004

Bush proposes manned mission to moon by 2015

ASHINGTON — Americans would return to the moon between 2015 and 2020 — and eventually travel to Mars — under a proposal President Bush

"Mankind is drawn to the heavens for the same reason we were once drawn to unknown lands and across the open sea," he said at NASA headquarters. "We choose to explore space because doing so improves our lives and lifts our national spirit. So let us continue the journey."

If the president succeeds in getting his program started, it will be the most far-reaching and ambitious space agenda since President Kennedy launched the Apollo program in 1961.

No human has stood on the moon since astronaut Eugene Cernan in December 1972. "I'd like to go back and see what it's like now," said Cernan, 69, who attended the speech. No human has ever gone to Mars, which is a six- to nine-month flight from Earth.

The president called for:

The construction of a new spaceship, the Crew Exploration Vehicle, to ferry people to the moon and the International Space Station. It would make its first manned flight in 2014. NASA hasn't revealed a design.

Robotic missions to the moon starting by 2008.

Colonies on the moon where humans would live and work. Their main task would be testing technology such as spacesuits for an eventual trip to Mars.

A human mission to Mars at an unspecified date.

Retiring the three remaining space shuttles in 2010, after the space station is completed. NASA does not yet know how astronauts would get to the space station in the four years between retiring the shuttles and starting to use the new spaceship.

Bush plans to ask Congress for an extra $1 billion over the next five years to help pay for the moon shot. In the same period, the administration would also divert $11 billion from other NASA programs to pay for the new effort. Another administration would have to decide whether to continue beyond that.

The cost of the human and robotic missions to the moon and Mars would total roughly $120 billion by 2020, according to estimates from a NASA chart. NASA's current annual budget is $15 billion.

The Apollo program of the 1960s and early 1970s cost $150 billion to $175 billion in 2003 dollars. Bush's father announced a similar proposal in 1989. But NASA's estimated cost for that program — $400 billion to $500 billion in unadjusted dollars — scuttled it.

It is not clear whether Bush will succeed in getting Congress to approve an increase in funding for NASA. Many legislators, including some of the president's fellow Republicans, are worried about this year's $500 billion budget deficit. White House officials say the plan is fiscally responsible.

The administration's decision to chart a new course for NASA was prompted by the breakup of the space shuttle Columbia as it re-entered the atmosphere last Feb. 1. The shuttle broke apart because foam that fell from its fuel tank during lift-off damaged one of the wings. The crew of seven died.

A report on the accident said NASA failed to heed lessons of the 1986 Challenger explosion and had not been given a "guiding vision" or "compelling mission."

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So you think we will get there again ?
Posted By: BMW Joe Re: Mission to the Moon - 26th May 2007 9:59pm
I think landing on the moon will happen for the first time eventually (or again, whichever you choose to believe).

But landing on Mars is just out of the question, even given another 100 years+ technology.

I see moon missions as useful, Mars robot missions as useful, but attempting to send man to Mars especially at that cost? No chance. Waste of money and time.

Plus, wouldn't it be too cold for a human to land on mars?
Posted By: MattLFC Re: Mission to the Moon - 27th May 2007 12:50am
Lol that news is so old its probably going to be in the BBC archive by now. As with most things Bush announces, they are vapuorware.
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