NASA Moves Toward Putting Astronauts on Moon Again

[Graybeard]

https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/nasa-moon-artemis-program-launch/2022/06/28/id/1076454/



By Theodore Bunker    |   Tuesday, 28 June 2022 02:07 PM

NASA this week completed a significant step in the Artemis mission that intends to bring astronauts to the moon for the first time in 50 years.

On Tuesday, NASA launched a miniaturized satellite — known as a CubeSat — called CAPSTONE (Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment) from a launch complex in New Zealand.

Bradley Smith, NASA's director of launch services for the Space Operations Mission Directorate, told Space.com that “the launch was absolutely fantastic.”

The CubeSat will test the stability of the orbit around the moon that NASA wants to use for the Artemis program’s Gateway space station, which will serve as a hub for manned and unmanned missions to the lunar surface.

"The reason we're in this orbit is it's incredibly stable, but also relatively close to the moon," Nujoud Merancy, who heads NASA’s Exploration Mission Planning Office, said in a video that aired during a livestream of the launch.

The launch utilized an electron rocket made by Rocket Lab, which according to the company is one of the smallest rockets ever used to launch a payload into orbit around the moon.

[ironglow]

  Why ?

[BUGEYE]

  Why ?

That's my question too.
That money could be better spent looking for a cure for the common cold, or covid, or cancer.
Or feeding the poor and housing the homeless or hiring more cops and building more prisons.

[Ranger99]

JMHO- if they wanted to actually
spend the money to do good, I'd
want them to cut some slack on
the average American taxpayer
that's been busting their rear
for decades and paying into the
system and not realizing any
benefit from all those dollars
taken from them. Maybe a long
term tax exemption or even a
large refund depending on the
individual case

The whole premise of taking your
money is to benefit you, and not
to use as a career choice for all
these drains we've raised up all
these decades

[Graybeard]

JMHO- if they wanted to actually
spend the money to do good, I'd
want them to cut some slack on
the average American taxpayer
that's been busting their rear
for decades and paying into the
system and not realizing any
benefit from all those dollars
taken from them. Maybe a long
term tax exemption or even a
large refund depending on the
individual case

The whole premise of taking your
money is to benefit you, and not
to use as a career choice for all
these drains we've raised up all
these decades

Kinda is a side track to the OP discussion but gives me a chance to vent.

IRS got my return on Feb. 24, I still have not gotten my refund which is a fairly substantial one, at least to me. I've tried using their internet link to see when I'll get it and all it tells me is I am not authorized to use it. I've tried the only phone numbers I can find for them to discuss it and no human will talk to me and the computer says they can't discuss it with me.

Anyone know how to speak to an actual human?

[phalanx]

China is right on our azz to get to the moon. They want to dominate it like everything else. As well as Mars.

[BUGEYE]

JMHO- if they wanted to actually
spend the money to do good, I'd
want them to cut some slack on
the average American taxpayer
that's been busting their rear
for decades and paying into the
system and not realizing any
benefit from all those dollars
taken from them. Maybe a long
term tax exemption or even a
large refund depending on the
individual case

The whole premise of taking your
money is to benefit you, and not
to use as a career choice for all
these drains we've raised up all
these decades

Kinda is a side track to the OP discussion but gives me a chance to vent.

IRS got my return on Feb. 24, I still have not gotten my refund which is a fairly substantial one, at least to me. I've tried using their internet link to see when I'll get it and all it tells me is I am not authorized to use it. I've tried the only phone numbers I can find for them to discuss it and no human will talk to me and the computer says they can't discuss it with me.

Anyone know how to speak to an actual human?

Some IRS employee has already spent your refund on crack and Boone's Farm wine. 

[Dixie-Dude]

NASA's budget is less than 1% of the entire federal budget.  Also, for every $1 spent on the space program, it has yielded $100 in new products. 

From what I understand they have cures for diseases, but big pharma companies bought up some of the patents.   Just like the oil companies bought up patents ever since the 1920's that would have improved gas mileage.  I saw a list of these that someone posted a while back.  Don't know if I can find it. 

[ironglow]

  Admittedly, some surprising formulas, tech equip and other benefits have been realized from the space effort.

  JHowever, it would seem as far as the moon is concerned, we have "been there, done that" !

  I suppose they could use it for a "springboard" for rockets headed out to further planets.  With t e moon having only a small part of our gravitational pull, a launch may be simpler..if carrying supplies to a moon base would be feasible.

  What leaves me a bit bewildered..  Why in...  &*^%.  are we planning to go infect other worlds...when we "can't even take care of business" in this world?

[phalanx]

Mars is only a pipe dream as of now. For all mankind.

[Ranger99]

From what I understand they have cures for diseases, but big pharma companies bought up some of the patents.   Just like the oil companies bought up patents ever since the 1920's that would have improved gas mileage.  I saw a list of these that someone posted a while back.  Don't know if I can find it.

All those 100 mile per gallon carburetor stories
are pure fairy tales
Even with strict computer controlled tuning
and laboratory grade electronic fuel injection
that's standard on new vehicles now ( science
fiction back in the 60's) you're not going
to get 100 miles a gallon out of a 1/2 ton truck
or full size sedan . None of the experimental
vehicles they show on these scientific documentaries
are pulling an air conditioning compressor, or
a high amperage alternator, or a power steering
pump or any engine driven accessories.
Lots of factors in the real world
Fuel formulations, road drag/ rolling resistance,
wind resistance, pavement variations, etc. etc.

[Dixie-Dude]

SpaceX already has several Mars rockets built waiting on FAA approval to launch (since last November). His new Starship/Superheavy rocket will have 16.7 million lbs of thrust.  Saturn V had 7.5 million.  Musk wants to start a Mars colony in his lifetime, and he just turned 50.  Check it out and all other space activity on NASAspaceflight.com.  NASA is wanting him to build one for moon use.  He wasn't interested in the moon, no air or water.  He wants to colonize Mars with a 24.5 hour day similar to earth, carbon dioxide air mostly (plants will love it) and water (mostly frozen at the poles and in lower areas).  One frozen lake covered in dust is bigger than Lake Superior.  Yes, Mars is a cold desert, but it can be used to build a colony most of the resources needed.  Cities would have to be under glass domes, but doable.  It will start small as an outpost, and grow from there.  Musk wants to send his first ships to Mars in 2024 or 2026.  Mars is closest to earth on the even years. 

Here are some pictures.  Some are the actual Starships, others are sketches.  They are being built at Boca Chica, Texas.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Starship+superheavy+pictures&cvid=62a6282f32364819b8f17ef4db8e2331&aqs=edge..69i57j69i64.9152j0j1&pglt=43&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=DCTS

Here is the Wikipedia article:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship

Musk is using profits from Tesla and SpaceX launches to pay for this facility and the rockets.  He is going to Mars with or without NASA.  So far the government hasn't taken him seriously.  They didn't take it seriously when he said he was going to land his rockets and reuse them.  He now has over 115 straight perfect launches and landings with his Falcon 9 rocket.