NASA Plans Lunar Outpost

Sub-ed: Englan has a space agency? Maybe Cornwall and Scotland also have one? But who needs to know their earthly geogrpahy when were off to Mars?

By donal.cullen | Dec 4, 2006 5:57:00 PM | Request Removal

why does this seem so...irrelevant?

By branfo4 | Dec 4, 2006 5:59:42 PM | Request Removal

I think that is a fantastic idea and let me also be the first to suggest that this current administration lead the charge in colonizing the moon by voluntarily offering to go set up this lunar base themselves. Dont hurry back.

By RHines75 | Dec 4, 2006 6:00:46 PM | Request Removal

I read the following and laughed as with a single missing letter it encapsulated how many Americans feel about their leader: In 2004, resident Bush announced his Vision for Exploration and plans to send astronauts back to the moon and later to Mars. Surely, you mean ... President Bush announced his Vision for Exploration... — Dan.

By dan | Dec 4, 2006 6:54:35 PM | Request Removal

Too late. No manned lunar missions for next fifty years....China excepted. German rocketeers now too old or dead. Affirmative action rocket scientist and what passes for engineering studies in US have relegated America to spectator status.

By slim | Dec 4, 2006 7:10:19 PM | Request Removal

Just a more expensive version of the space station - Huge Cost and Low benefits. As America will soon be broke anyway, dreaming about going back to the moon is as far as it will go.

By jgh88 | Dec 4, 2006 7:23:28 PM | Request Removal

Cool

By davidomackay | Dec 4, 2006 7:35:40 PM | Request Removal

Warp speed, Mr. Sulu!!

By mikemcclure | Dec 4, 2006 7:48:27 PM | Request Removal

Solar power for the moon settlement? What a concept. How about developing solar power systems for Earth settlements. That way I can stop getting jacked by BGE.

By Reader1000 | Dec 4, 2006 7:53:21 PM | Request Removal

Why does man need to be on the moon? We already know that Mars environment is too hostile to live on. We need to take care of the planet God gave us to live on instead of destroying it for futrue generations in the name of greed. If God had wanted us to live on another planet, he would have put us there. The last thing we need is armed Space Wars, which is one of the main reasons Resident Bush is pushing the flight back to the moon and mars. Lets use the resources to take care of the humans here in earth first instead of wasting Billions of taxpayer dollars for fantasies on planets millions of light years away.

By morningglory51 | Dec 4, 2006 7:54:53 PM | Request Removal

oh geez...I knew god was going to be mentioned sooner or later

By mikemcclure | Dec 4, 2006 7:57:03 PM | Request Removal

The exploration of space has already led to key scientific developments that we use every day to help keep Earths environment livable. The only thing that has driven invention more, I think, is War. Which is better, nations gathering together to explore the universe or nations battling for space here on Earth? Easy question. The potential benefits are huge, since the development and collaboration required for space colonization will lead to improvements in our everyday lives. And here Im not just talking about Tang and pens that can write upside-down. Efficient power production, food production, and propulsion on the levels required to achieve our goals will trickle down to feed, warm, and provide transportation for people at a lower cost in terms of environmental devestation. Besides that, studies in space may offer solutions to health issues and other issues we havent even thought up yet. Furthermore, simply having the ability to colonize in a harsh environment such as the moons will give humanity an escape hatch if things on Earth go terribly, terribly wrong.

By hrhZerik | Dec 4, 2006 8:05:53 PM | Request Removal

If one man, Bush, can start this nonsense, does that mean it will stop when he goes away?

By hknight903 | Dec 4, 2006 8:50:25 PM | Request Removal

Anyone know if we will be able to see the colony from Earth with a home telescope? That would be cool. How long til we have Google Moon?

By avgbear | Dec 4, 2006 8:54:01 PM | Request Removal

If one man, Bush, can start this nonsense, does that mean it will stop when he goes away?

By hknight903 | Dec 4, 2006 9:02:41 PM | Request Removal

Yes, and if God wanted us to fly, then he would have given us wings...blah..blah...blah...Thankfully, the Wrights didnt believe the same thing. Honestly, who knows what we will find out there?? Does that mean we shouldnt go and look? Thats the beauty of exploration and discovery. As years give way to decades, discoveries there whether in the form of raw resources or completely new technologies will trickle back down here. Why should we become complacent and believe that we have discovered everything? What happened to taking chances, sticking our necks out, and risking it all? Thats what life is supposed to be about. Not sitting around happily believing that we have all our great gadgets and the next step is just finding away to make everyone else rich enough to afford them. Just as the previous superpower the UK spearheaded most of the last great exploration, it is now time for us to spearhead the next great exploration. That will be our legacy. Environmentalism, addressing the poor, and improving education are all wonderful endeavors, but none of them will be fixed no matter how many free taxpayer dollars are pumped in. They will be addressed instead through proper regulatory conditions incentive programs and a robust, competitive environment. High risk endeavors ie: those items with the least short term return on investment such as the Space Program are the best use of tax payers dollars.

By lance | Dec 4, 2006 9:04:01 PM | Request Removal

Wasn’t the God comment supposed to be satirical? The point was that if you try to put man on the moon or on Mars you end up spending 99 of the money for life support and 1 for the science. Then you have to make it “foolproof” so you don’t kill anybody. Don’t fight it. Man was “designed” to live here. Put the money into the science and not into the grandstand. Maybe when Bush goes away this nonsense will go away. His old man tried this grandstand also. Great VISION! Bush just wants to get the focus off the debacle of his Presidency anyway. The whole thing is a distraction.

By sutton | Dec 4, 2006 9:21:37 PM | Request Removal

My question is: Why does this incompetent, criminal administration bother to make these statements? They are all nonsense, hot air, shouts made into a vacuum, and we all know that in space, no one can hear you lie. Just like with the Mission To Mars!!!! there is no way any of this will happen. The U.S. is too busy spending all its money in Iraq so crooked contractors can get rich there. So is it supposed to curry favor with Star Trek tragic nerds who will think ,,What a great bunch this NASA admin. is, that they,re going to make a moon base!,, Or is it to set up a program so space-related contractors can steal? This moon base is BS, but they went to the trouble of pumping up the volume about it. Why? What,s the truth behind the story?

By Bukkonen | Dec 4, 2006 10:04:57 PM | Request Removal

Washington Post editors must be tired, careless, in outter space or making a statement about George Bushs political status after the mid-term ellections. There are two editing mistakes in consecutive sentences. The below is cut and paste from NASA Announces Moon Colony Plans. As part of the planning process, she said, NASA officials met with representatives from the European Space Agency and the space agencies of Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, England, India, Italy, Russian, South Korea and the Ukraine. Dale said she will be traveling extensively next year to these nations and others to see how they might want to participate. In 2004, resident Bush announced his Vision for Exploration and plans to send astronauts back to the moon and later to Mars.

By fuzzerfuzzer | Dec 4, 2006 10:06:23 PM | Request Removal

Yes all we need to do to get to the moon is call up China and get another check for a TRILLION DOLLARS. Bush has all the money management of a crack user.

By Rax359 | Dec 4, 2006 10:19:46 PM | Request Removal