[Boudica]

Approximately 50 years after we were last on the moon, we're finally seeing details of lunar mission plans from NASA, SpaceX and others as part of the wider goal to reach Mars. Now Jeff Bezos is also getting involved in assisting NASA with Moon landings.

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The US space agency has enlisted a second billionaire to help it put astronauts back on the Moon.
Nasa is already working with Elon Musk's SpaceX firm on a descent system based on its novel Starship rocket that will touch down as early as 2025.
It has now also awarded Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos a contract to build a landing craft to take a crew down to the lunar surface later this decade.
His Blue Origin company will produce a more conventional-looking vehicle.
Mr Bezos will have assistance from some well established names in the American aerospace sector, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Draper and Astrobotic.
Blue Origin secured the contract in a competition with Dynetics and Northrop Grumman.
Mr Bezos's company, which is based in Kent in the US State of Washington, will receive just over $3.4bn (£2.7bn) from Nasa as part of the contract. And the firm will be spending "well north of $3.4bn" of its own money on the project.
"We go to the Moon, to learn, to live, to invent, to create all these things to be successful at the Moon, to go to Mars," said agency Administrator Bill Nelson.
"The great adventure of humankind pressing out into the cosmos is here. And this is a part of it."

[url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65635005] Source [ /url]

Space programs and government (or private) spending are getting a lot of stick at the moment as people feel it's a waste of money that should be spent resolving problems on home soil. What are your thoughts on the current space-based developments?

[Boudica]

Personally don't see how that is benefiting anyone other than the elites

Out of curiosity, tell us more about what you mean? Who are the elites and what are the benefits they get over average people by sending people to the Moon/Mars?

[Boudica]

I don't know if we ever went to the moon....I really don't know.

Current scientific evidence suggests we really did. And supposedly it would require more technological advancements than we had in the 60s in order to fake it.

There's more scientific logic to suggest we did, than we didn't. Either way, that doesn't really have bearing on current space programs unless people think the entirety of NASA, SpaceX and Boeing are in some joint international massive conspiracy.

[Boudica]

I've never understood the point of going to the moon

The current motive to go to the moon is to essentially use it as a "launchpad/refueling" station to facilitate travel elsewhere. For example, to take off with all the resources you would need for a manned flight to Mars, is much more difficult from Earth directly because of the atmosphere and gravity. If you were to store resources and a launch site on the moon, then merely take off from Earth with just the humans on board, you would save a lot of resources and energy making the launch from Earth. You could then hook up to everything you need on the moon, and take off far more easily from there.

Or at least, that's the laymen's terms theory behind wanting to go back to the moon. There are some other reasons quoted, but that appears to be the more commonly cited one.

[maxino]

Would be nice to see the US back on track

[Memphis]

SpaceX and Boeing are in some joint international massive conspiracy.

[Boudica]

SpaceX and Boeing are in some joint international massive conspiracy.

Are they now? Wow. I'm 100% convinced and my whole worldview of those companies has now changed.



In all seriousness, if you have any more details and evidence you'd like to bring to the table on the topic please feel free. We can also make another thread for discussion on it if you think it would be a good discussion piece.

[lajmonline]

I'll take a look, I won't talk

[Tibo inc]

Sorry Jiggly it'll never be used as a launch pad for refuelling for further space travel... the moon's underneath the firmament

[Boudica]

Sorry Jiggly it'll never be used as a launch pad for refuelling for further space travel... the moon's underneath the firmament

Wot.