Fascinating!

If we are to ever have colonies on other planets starting with Mars, we need something a "bit" closer to test our our technologies and find out how it all might work.

The only thing is money. To "do" anything space is extremely expensive as well as complicated, so I question whether the Americans will go it alone. They'll probably seek allies to share the burden, especially with Trump at the helm.

Glad to hear this. Heero, I also thought first off that he was having a Kennedy moment, which is rather ironic seeing as the big K was a democrat. But it shouldn't turn into a space race, it should be a nice, sharing of knowledge between Earthlings. Science isn't for blowing trumpets. (Excuse pun)

Trump is a businessman so if it looks like a good deal, he'll sign for it. And as China is almost certainly the next big space racer, Trump is keeping America in the space business for the future where wars will be technology based. Humans are slowly creeping out of their Earth cocoon, many kicking and screaming as reality leaves their cherished beliefs about almost everything behind and presents the truth of our isolation and the vastness of the cosmos without God.

I often wonder if humanity at large is mature and sane enough for this.

What's the betting Trump has some hidden financial interest in a aeronautical/aerospace company that all the contracts for stuff will go too.

Could be Heero, but how can any one country afford to do this?

Although the moon has intrigued us for decades with sci-fi stories of bases on it, what practical reason beyond military... would there be for having permanent settlements there?

There's nothing on the moon, its incredibly difficult to bring supplies to it, I just don't see the point of it, although love the idea.

China Moon mission lands Chang'e-4 spacecraft on far side

Quote from BBC News

China says it has successfully landed a robotic spacecraft on the far side of the Moon, the first ever such attempt and landing.

At 10:26 Beijing time (02:26 GMT), the un-crewed Chang'e-4 probe touched down in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, state media said.

It is carrying instruments to analyse the unexplored region's geology, as well to conduct biological experiments.

The landing is being seen as a major milestone in space exploration.

This happened a few days ago and it's a major milestone for the Chinese, in particular, as it's their robot that has reached the other side of the moon. Didn't get that much attention from the western media, considering it's a major feat that no other country has managed to do.

I'll restrain myself here and won't go into conspiracy theories, but now that ice has been previously found on the moon, is there any chance of finding life there?

After decades of sci-fi stories about colonies on the moon, are we one step closer to that goal, or is that as far away as ever?

I heard about that telescope plan, very interesting. Makes perfect sense.

I wonder if anyone has asked the question that as we've done so much damage to our own world and we've already littered the moon with dozens of items of rubbish already, whether we should be there at all and just leave it alone?

I think we should claim the moon ? Just for the cheese alone.

So will the Yanks, because they landed folks on the Moon, try and claim landing fees from anybody else who lands on he moon with robots or live astronaughts?

Quote from Mrunclevanya

So will the Yanks, because they landed folks on the Moon, try and claim landing fees from anybody else who lands on he moon with robots or live astronaughts?

There's meant to be a international law somewhere which says no country can make claims on any territory of the moon. Of course we'll see how long that lasts if any minerals are found in large enough quantities to mine.

I think by then this will be mainly a SpaceX mission or some other company running things instead of NASA. The private companies' tech is far ahead of what NASA can do now.

Quote from Reuters

Plans detailed for first U.S. mission to land on moon since Apollo

The first American spacecraft expected to land on the moon in nearly 50 years will be an unmanned robotic lander built by closely held Astrobotic Technology Inc and launched in two years by United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket, the companies told Reuters on Monday.

and from the same article:

Quote

Other countries are also focused on the moon. A Chinese space probe successfully touched down on the far side of the moon in January, though Israel’s unmanned robotic lander Beresheet crashed on its final descent in April. India’s Chandrayaan-2 rover, launched in July, was on its way to the moon’s south pole, unexplored by any other nation.

The Trump administration wants private companies to take some of the load off NASA and along with other countries, it looks like the moon is going to get a lot busier in in the future. Could we end up with a situation like the Arctic, with different countries and companies each with their own agendas, competing against each other and sometimes doing so in a hostile way?

The only reason Trump wants to go to the Moon is to start mining it. Now considering the influence the Moon has on our planet and tides is it really a good idea to support this. We've almost completely wrecked our planet and now we want to wreck others. It's not like it's going to be a scientific exploratory mission to bring a few rocks back or setup a base to help us launch to Mars away from the space junk floating around the outskirts of Earth.

Now call me a cynic but maybe as a side mission he wants to build a Trump tower there so he and the rest of the worlds richest and selected few can escape too. Kind of like Elysium as they will all need somewhere to run while the rest of us rot. Well it wont be him that escapes there as he will long be dead by that time but I'm sure his ego would like his legacy to live on. I would rather the money was spent on improving things down here.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/infog…graphic.view.php?id=11272

Why should mining the moon wreck it?

There has been and is plenty of mining going on down here, and I don't see that wrecking anything other than the lives of people working in them

The are opening an old mine in Devon looking for some precious metal used in mobile phones and batteries for electric cars

Who knows what they may find on the moon

There is some nuclear type substance on the moon, I believe, but name escapes me at the moment.

As to the rights or wrongs of it, I'm in two minds here. If there is something we need on the moon, then why not? But, we look up into the night sky at a almost untouched, unblemished moon and I kinda like it that way. So I wouldn't be keen on mining, if it means doing it on the side that faces the Earth.

Quote from bryanluc

Why should mining the moon wreck it?

Well we don't really know do we. Taking it's mass away might affect the gravitational pull. Combine that with the Moon moving further away from us and it might be serious issue.

Quote from Horizon

So I wouldn't be keen on mining, if it means doing it on the side that faces the Earth.

Well you know if they go to the dark side they will have to deal with the aliens then

Unless they're planning to mine the entire moon, I don't see how this would effect the moon's mass.

As for aliens/dark side, don't get me started... try here if you dare:

Are UFOs and Aliens real?

Quote from Norra Batty

Well we don't really know do we. Taking it's mass away might affect the gravitational pull. Combine that with the Moon moving further away from us and it might be serious issue.

Well you know if they go to the dark side they will have to deal with the aliens then

Pink Floyd went there and look what it did to them

New moon? Astronomers find first evidence of a possible moon outside our solar system

https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/ne…outside-our-solar-system/

Hundreds of tiny moons may be orbiting Earth

https://www.newscientist.com/a…ns-may-be-orbiting-earth/

Is that another name for space dust. Put it on your tongue and it starts cracking and sizzling LOL

Earth has two extra, hidden 'moons'

https://www.nationalgeographic…satellites-planets-space/

NASA and scientists are as loony as the rest of them looking into terrestrial things as they all fight to find new discoveries and get extra funding.

Last night

On TV some photographers got the "pink moon" but most just the very large moon as it was at it's nearest to earth

Never saw a pink moon Tuesday night, but it was very bright and nice last night too.