Man going back to the Moon?

[Kyng]

https://www.iflscience.com/space/nasa-re...-the-moon/

NASA has revealed a smattering of details about its new plan to send humans back to the Moon, saying it hopes to return to the surface within a decade.

In an event yesterday at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, NASA said it had selected nine US companies that would be welcomed to bid on contracts to return to the Moon, “including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon.”

Among the companies were Astrobotic Technology, who are hoping to send a rover to the Moon in 2019, and Firefly Aerospace, which is aiming to build new small rockets to launch into space. They have each been awarded a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract.

The event highlights NASA’s growing commitment to return to the Moon, shifting the focus from Mars for the time being. They are hoping to build a space station near the Moon called the Deep Space Gateway (DSG) to replace the International Space Station (ISS) in the coming decade, before heading to the surface.

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I have to say, this is one of those things that I'll believe when I see it. It sounds insanely expensive, so I wouldn't be surprised if they ultimately decided it just wasn't worth it. 

It'll be very exciting if it does happen, though!

[Detective Osprey]

That would be cool

[GrieferLord]

it would be nice to have it happen as an international collection of countries coming together to do this. Though we know how long that would be before it happens. Still it would be nice to see it happen and a live feed from the moon.

[Moonshroom]

I don't know, man... haven't we exhausted what we could learn from the Moon already? I'm sure there are still a ton of thing to see and be amazed by up there, but at this point it feels like all we would be really doing would be keep littering the place with our space junk, like in the past decades.

I'd much rather see those resources be put towards a better use, like the intensive study of Mars for example.

[Kyng]

Vice-president Mike Pence has reiterated the USA's desire to return men to the Moon. His aim is to do it within five years, and send astronauts to the lunar south pole, where it's thought that water ice might exist:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47721467

It's a nice idea, but it's also not the kind of thing you'd just casually drop billions of dollars on - so, there's going to need to be a very good justification for something like this!

[Lurkerish Allsorts]

Vice-president Mike Pence has reiterated the USA's desire to return men to the Moon. His aim is to do it within five years, and send astronauts to the lunar south pole, where it's thought that water ice might exist:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47721467

It's a nice idea, but it's also not the kind of thing you'd just casually drop billions of dollars on - so, there's going to need to be a very good justification for something like this!

Making the moon great again?

[Pyrite]

Can we in response to this get Time Peake to the Moon? It's not as if he isn't used to space!  

Would love to see someone get there in my lifetime!

[Kyng]

Seems that there's a bit more news on this front. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, has been picked as the headquarters for this mission:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49381622

They do have a strong previous association with moon landings (since they designed, built and tested the Saturn V rocket). However, the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas would have seemed like the natural choice, since that's where Mission Control for the Apollo missions was - so, it's still a little surprising.

[Kyng]

Seems that the rocket is actually making quite good progress. They're hoping to launch an unmanned mission to the Moon in 2021, with a manned mission following in 2024:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-49759627

Good luck to them !

[Emerald]

Mixed feelings on this - I think the money could be put to better use looking after planet earth and its people.