To Obama, a $50 billion lunar colony is chump change

citizen5408.com ^ | January 29, 2012 | Greg C.

[FreedomFighter1013]

While Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich has been mocked repeatedly by his chief rival, Mitt Romney, there is a compelling series of arguments to be made for returning to the moon, this time in the form of a permanent Lunar colony. Indeed, the Lunar colony idea had been articulated by President George W. Bush in 2004 and was based on solid research developed by many serious thinkers in the space community. It had also been ratified by 2 different congresses, in 2005 and 2008. In fact, the first lunar colony was planned in the mid-1960s, called ALSS (Apollo Logistics Support System) Lunar Base and was cancelled in 1968.

Nevertheless, the recent $5-plus trillion run up in our national debt over the last 3 years have made many people less expansive in their thinking when it comes to space exploration for exploration's sake, that is without a concrete, read: commercial, application. more here

[Cincinatus' Wife]

More from Dr. Spudis: NASA’s New Mission and the Cult of Management

Read that. Newt's right. There is this much[-]room between Obama's health care policy and Mitt's health care policy, and I suggest between their space leadership too.

Voters need to read this and then think of how Newt is campaigning and how this can succeed if enough of the “silent majority” rallies from their funk and acts now!

The GE Years: What Made Reagan Reagan [Newt said this book explained Ronald Reagan's leadership]

[FreedomFighter1013]

Hi, Cheer up, you sound like a Democrat. The future is what you make of it. This article should raise your spirits: "The Coming Tech-led Boom"

Be well and be cheerful.

[Gaffer]

Yes, I read his article, and what he is discussing is the amortized cost of creating a moon base. It is not the investment cost, and what I'm saying is that $50Billion is ludicrously optimistic. Those are the same kinds of 'benefits' and reduced costs (e.g., dozens of flights per year, three-four day turnaround times ---all pipe dreams in the end) that were given to us for the onset of the Space Shuttle...I wonder where Google keeps the TOTAL DOLLARS spent on the space shuttle program....

He can swear it with a straight face, but I know better than that.