First commercial Moon landing gets go-ahead

WorldNetDaily ^ | 05 September 2002 | KENDALL POWELL

[SerpentDove]

>>?<<

The coffee & Clapton reference. "Big Grin"

[GATOR NAVY]

I said her father thought that, not her. Don't mess with my high school memories of first love ;-)

[GATOR NAVY]

Ok, got it now. BG confused me.

[Gothmog]

Yeah, I'm just pissed because Wendell doesn't realize that he should be talking to the reporter from Moonbase Reagan and touting the success NASA is having exploring Mars.

Without having to spend resources fueling launches from the earth it would be a lot cheaper exploring the rest of the solar system from the moon.

[The FRugitive]

Awesome!

I want to be a lunar tourist someday.

[Frank_Discussion]

"Yeah, I'm just pissed because Wendell doesn't realize that he should be talking to the reporter from Moonbase Reagan and touting the success NASA is having exploring Mars."

I agree with you wholeheartedly.

"Without having to spend resources fueling launches from the earth it would be a lot cheaper exploring the rest of the solar system from the moon."

Yes and No. If that's it's only use, no. Compared to transit from Earth to Somewhere Else, you still have to expend more energy to go from Earth to Moon, then Moon to Somewhere Else. BUT, if you are building a sustained base of settlers, tourists, and researchers with industry and commerce beyond a refueling depot, then the picture changes into a big fat yes.

[Frank_Discussion]

"I wanna be a spaceman ranger..."

[GATOR NAVY]

I Want To Be a PowerPoint Ranger

[Paradox]

The Shuttle is NOT a good platform to modify for Lunar transit and exploration. Even with all the control surfaces removed, it is far too heavy for any propulsion technology available.

Way to heavy indeed. The layman might confuse weight with mass, and while the Shuttle is "weightless" out there in space (orbit), its mass is the same as on the ground, and it is a heavy mofo.

[RightWhale]

the Space Shuttle would be a perfect vehicle for a "modern" trip to the moon

It could be done, but it would need some modifications, mostly in the fuel capacity as you say.

If it is to be launched from the ground like Saturn, it would need a new first stage, and it would be really, really big, like 1000' feet tall. Or the Space Shuttle could be refueled in earth orbit; that would be much more likely to happen. Then when the Space shuttle returns to earth, it wouldn't be able to come directly back through the atmosphere; it would have to be slowed to earth orbit speed first. More fuel.

An earth-moon shuttle is the best way for regular flights from earth orbit to moon orbit and back, but the Space Shuttle carries a lot of excess weight in those wings and airframe that a true space shuttle wouldn't need.