Gingrich invokes Kennedy - Promises Lunar Moon Base by 2020

[Patranus]

As for not even trying, we're up to out necks in debt and economic bullshit and you think we should be focusing what resources we have on building a moon base?

A big problem with now vs then is that we know a lot more about space and the moon. Things that weren't know about or weren't thought of as a threat before are now a large problem for a long term base. Could we build a moon base of course we could, but it is going to cost a massive amount of money. I am all for NASA and space exploration, and I would love to see NASA have a much larger budget. Yet I would much rather them spend money on unmanned missions, new propulsion technology,... We can work towards getting a manned space program again, but I don't want just another generic rocket. We need to first come up with some new stuff before we bother building a rocket to send people into space.

So what do we have now?
We are pissing billions away to discover starts and planets millions of lightyears away through telescopes. Woot!!!!
This research has little to no practical application in the real world.

The new propulsion technology, ect. comes from bold initiatives like manned space flight, landing a man on the moon, and the next logical step - setting up a moon base.

Not only that but America has to look at this from a strategic standpoint. The moon untimely contains resources that at some point man kind will need. The sooner America develops the technology to establish a permeant base, the sooner America can assert control of those resources.

 

[StinkyPinky]

The US stopped being ambitious decades ago

30 years ago this type of comment would have people excited and the media excited. Now people think it's a joke.

This is why China will dominate space in the 21st century and beyond. The USA has lot its nerve. The EU is broke. Japan is stagnant.

In reality Star Trek will be mostly Chinese crew with the token westerner manning the comms.

 

[Patranus]

The US stopped being ambitious decades ago

30 years ago this type of comment would have people excited and the media excited. Now people think it's a joke.

This is why China will dominate space in the 21st century and beyond. The USA has lot its nerve. The EU is broke. Japan is stagnant.

In reality Star Trek will be mostly Chinese crew with the token westerner manning the comms.

Exactly.

 

[Dulanic]

I love the right... build up our infrastructure....FUCK NO WE CAN't AFFORD IT!!!! But the moon? Oh yeah baby let's go!.... Wow just wow. Of course, this isn't exactly unexpected.

 

[Jhhnn]

But, but, Dubya said we wuz goin' to mars, and we wuz gonna have hydergin, too... but Newt sez we're goin' to the moon, goin' to invade Cuba, cut taxes and cut spending to create us some Jerbs all at the same time...

He's Magick!

 

[sunzt]

So what do we have now?
We are pissing billions away to discover starts and planets millions of lightyears away through telescopes. Woot!!!!
This research has little to no practical application in the real world.

The new propulsion technology, ect. comes from bold initiatives like manned space flight, landing a man on the moon, and the next logical step - setting up a moon base.

Not only that but America has to look at this from a strategic standpoint. The moon untimely contains resources that at some point man kind will need. The sooner America develops the technology to establish a permeant base, the sooner America can assert control of those resources.

FYI, you're not gonna be able to develop, certify, and test any new propulsion tech for a colony due in 2020 right now. It's also not realistic to use any untested propulsion technology for this high profile mission. It's cheaper to certify new propulsion technology through the method that NASA is doing now through exploration missions such as DAWN and New Horizons.

The reason it takes so much longer now to get us back into space is the safety tests and certifications that are required for manned rated spacecraft. No one wants to get blamed for another Challenger or Columbia incident.

 

[irishScott]

Alright AT, if you elect me I will land Newt on Mars by summer 2013. Deal?

 

[Jhhnn]

Alright AT, if you elect me I will land Newt on Mars by summer 2013. Deal?

Is he coming back?

Inquiring minds want to know...

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

Wrong scientific priority. We need an Apollo/Manhattan type program with similar commitment for energy independence. We have to put up with the crap in the ME because of oil. We should give MIT and other groups money to develop alternatives with the caveat that with the cash the IP goes to the US which should make it public domain. Let others make the equipment without licensing costs or other restrictions to keep prices high and the technology unavailable except for a ransom.

Neither party wants that so it will never happen.

 

[kage69]

This reeks of a stunt of desperation. Eight years to have a base on the moon? lol. Gee Newt, what would you use to fly the materials up there? The Space Shuttle?

Pretty much what I was going to post. It could be done I suppose, but only with "fast track" methods that at this point are financially unfeasible what with everything else we have on the burner.

I think this may just be one of those aspects of Newt that Bob Dole was talking about in his recent appeal to the GOP.

Wait, weren't we going to Mars last time? What happened to Mars?

 

[Patranus]

Wrong scientific priority. We need an Apollo/Manhattan type program with similar commitment for energy independence. We have to put up with the crap in the ME because of oil. We should give MIT and other groups money to develop alternatives with the caveat that with the cash the IP goes to the US which should make it public domain. Let others make the equipment without licensing costs or other restrictions to keep prices high and the technology unavailable except for a ransom.

Neither party wants that so it will never happen.

We have that, its called nuclear.

 

[irishScott]

Is he coming back?

Inquiring minds want to know...

Well we don't exactly have lander technology for Mars yet, so... maybe? This is Newt we're talking about.

 

[dmcowen674]

Wrong scientific priority.

We need an Apollo/Manhattan type program with similar commitment for energy independence.

We have to put up with the crap in the ME because of oil.

This

 

[zsdersw]

Great achievement has no roadmap. The X-ray is pretty good, so is penicillin... and neither were discovered with a practical objective in mind. When the electron was discovered in 1897 it was useless, and now we have an entire world run by electronics.

Missions to send man to the moon for making a lunar base or to Mars are good; the lunar base and actually being on and surviving on Mars are excellent things in their own right, but are really the tip of the iceberg. The real gift to mankind they represent, in addition to all the research that leads to more research, are all the technologies and products invented and created that allow the lunar base and mankind's footsteps on Mars to occur... and how those technologies and products can be adapted and transformed into things we use every day here on Earth.

The problem is Newt specifically and all the politicians in and seeking to be in Washington DC in general; they're full of a lot of things... none of them good.

 

[ichy]

No, he did not.

That was only one element, which helped get political approval.

He saw all kinds of reasons for it

He understood the benefit of the national goal of doing it - being a 'great' nation.

There are records of JFK saying that while he was a supporter of space exploration the only reason he was willing to spend the money that was spent on the Apollo program was to beat the Russians. The scientific community in the 1960s largely thought that Apollo was a waste of money.

Don't get me wrong, I am pro-manned spaceflight. I believe that human exploration of the unknown is a worthy and noble goal even if it doesn't get you the greatest scientific bang for the buck. Kennedy's push for the moon was done for political reasons though, especially the do it before 1970 part. If Alan Shepard had made it into space before Yuri Gagarin it's entirely possible we would've never gone to the moon.

 

[ichy]

We invent it, the same we get all the other new techonologies?

This isn't just an engineering challenge, you're slamming your head into the laws of physics. Honestly I don't know how we'll be able to get a serious reduction in the cost of launching things short of something really revolutionary like a space elevator.

 

[Fern]

Wrong scientific priority. We need an Apollo/Manhattan type program with similar commitment for energy independence. We have to put up with the crap in the ME because of oil. We should give MIT and other groups money to develop alternatives with the caveat that with the cash the IP goes to the US which should make it public domain. Let others make the equipment without licensing costs or other restrictions to keep prices high and the technology unavailable except for a ransom.

Neither party wants that so it will never happen.

We've been doing this for decades.

Additionally, the private sector (venture capitalists etc.) has been pouring money in alt/renewable energy at record amounts. It's #1 in terms of the amount of money that is thrown at it.

It's just that our advances have been mostly incremental.

I suppose there are some exotic projects that we could focus even more resources on. E.g., an H3 reactor, but seems we'd need a moon base for that anyway.

I also wonder if maybe space exploration might be the way we stumble upon some new technology that provides us gobs of power in an inexpensive way. Maybe some exotic propulsion method we might find could be used to power us down here on earth.

Fern

 

[Paul98]

I am all for space exploration and want to see NASA get a lot more money. But I want this to be done the right way, I don't want to see us spend a huge amount of money to get to the moon with mostly technology that we already have. Then have not much to do once we get there. There are lots of big projects we could spend a lot of money on that would give us huge gains and would lead to other things. I want big plans for exciting things, but just because you have a big idea doesn't mean it's a good idea.

 

[Remobz]

Does anyone really care if China makes it to the moon and starts a moon colony?

Wait...wasn't there a game like that? You commanded a land vehicle and defended your moon base against the Chinese?

 

[peonyu]

Most people dont remember it, but Bush promised us a Moon base back in 2000 and that never happened....The chances of a base are close to nill, the ONLY way we will see one if there is a really good reason to have one. In other words, we need the corporations to build one, and the only way that is going to happen is if there is money to be made off of it.

So no, its not going to happen.

 

[soundforbjt]

Colbert had a great joke for this last night. After Newton did those commercials with Pelosi, he realized the Earth was sick...So he wants to leave the Earth for the Moon. LOL !

 

[davmat787]

Colbert had a great joke for this last night. After Newton did those commercials with Pelosi, he realized the Earth was sick...So he wants to leave the Earth for the Moon. LOL !

lol.

And besides, one of Kennedy's biggest reasons for landing on the moon had much to do with fact that we were in a Cold War with the USSR. We had to do something like this after having the USSR put the first cosmonaut and satellite in space. Obviously we are not in such a situation today.

Newts idea reeks of desperation and that short fat kid in the back of room trying to get attention so as not to be picked last.

 

[Craig234]

lol.

And besides, one of Kennedy's biggest reasons for landing on the moon had much to do with fact that we were in a Cold War with the USSR. We had to do something like this after having the USSR put the first cosmonaut and satellite in space. Obviously we are not in such a situation today.

Newts idea reeks of desperation and that short fat kid in the back of room trying to get attention so as not to be picked last.

Besides my previous correction, JFK was interested in a joint project with the Soviets or in coordinating schedules to reduce the 'race' and the cost.

When it was announced, the competition with the USSR was a larger issue for JFK; later he came to more strongly want to pursue peace and this was an important chance.

One article that the USSR had decided to accept his offer just before he was killed:

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/russia-97h.html

Kennedy was increasingly ahead of the country, congress and his own aides in his peace agenda with the USSR.

 

[bfdd]

This shit had me laughing all night/morning. What a buffoon.

 

[Jeff7]

So let's see, we've got to figure out how to:
- Solve the problem of radiation exposure on the Moon (cosmic and solar)
- Solve the problem of micrometeorites.
- Make a fully self-contained biosphere. On another planet.
- Get 13,000 people to the Moon, preferably alive.

...yeah.



I guess we could do it in 8 years if we devoted the equivalent of about 150% of the country's GDP to it. No problem.