Europe goes to the Moon!

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  • #39499
    SadGeezer
    Keymaster

    ‘Bout damn time too!

    EUROPES MOON TRIP

    Some text taken from the link:

    The unmanned flight, Europe’s first to the moon, is scheduled to begin on Saturday with the launch of an Ariane 5 rocket from a base in Kourou, French Guiana.

    The SMART-1, short for “Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology,” will rely on energy generated by solar panels used by “ion engines” that provide a thrust of charged particles — the first time such technology has been used to get to the moon.

    Ion Particles, kewl.

    #68524
    Anonymous
    Guest

    I heard about this last night on the radio and about China launching its first man into orbit. I love what the talk show host said “Looks like everyone is leaving us in the moon dust”

    Maybe this is a good thing. When other countries start getting into space travel it will light a fire under our asses to get more involved. You know setting a real mission to mars in motion, a lunar colony.

    #68529
    Anonymous
    Guest
    ”Slopmaster” wrote:

    Maybe this is a good thing. When other countries start getting into space travel it will light a fire under our asses to get more involved. You know setting a real mission to mars in motion, a lunar colony.

    I’ve said it many times myself. Couldn’t agree more. Look at what we did in the 60’s when 1 megabyte of memory was as big as a room. When communication bandwidth was a fraction of a fraction of what it is now. Once we start assembling ships in space and solve the propulsion problem even a Mars colony isn’t unthinkable. Unfortunatly it’d take about 15 years to make a proper International space station then another 10 years to create a platform from which parts constructed on earth and shipped piecemeal to be assembled in space to create ships. So 25 years as a rough guess and that’s not counting the preparation needed to create a large Mars colony, which at the moment isn’t possible, but only because we really haven’t worked on it. And this is all dependant on us pulling our collective heads out of our butts and realize what the word “future” really means and start working together as a planet.

    We can always start bickering and warring again once all our eggs arent in the same basket.

    #68533
    Anonymous
    Guest

    Also in order for anything llike a mars colony or beyond something other than NASA is going to have to take over. I just don’t think NASA is big enough to handle something of that magnitude. I hate to say this but one of two entitys will be controling space travel in the next 20 or 30 years. Its either going to be the military which seemingly can get all the money it wants for what ever or major corporations. Anyway I’m just looking forward to the day when I can take my first step on a new planet.

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