[meteorite-list] Bush and the Flight to the Moon

From: Francis Graham <francisgraham_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:17:43 2004
Message-ID: <20031210140942.33633.qmail_at_web40112.mail.yahoo.com>

Dear List,
  Randy Mils listed 10 humorous reasons Bush desires
to return to the Moon.
  One can speculate on the political reasons. Space
activists in the past have generally been part of the
Republican coalition--at least since the 1970's.
However, Bush is alienating a lot of them by banning
or requiring strict licensure of APCP, the chief
ingedient in model rocket propellant.
  Another reason may be to meet the new Chinese space
initiative. Here, things get murky. It is likely that
the next US Moon rocket will have many many components
and parts built in China. It is likely the stages will
be transported on cargo airplanes built in China, as
Boeing is now manufacturing its airplanes in China, or
at least, many of them. So if the US goes to the Moon,
will it be on a US-made rocket? What percentage? Even
the design of it may be outsourced to a third world
firm.
  That is not an unrealistic expectation, and
complicates the political value of meeting the Chinese
space initiative with a US space initiative--one
perhaps designed and made in China.
  I'll leave you guys to sort out the meaning of this.
I can't.

Francis Graham


   
  

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Received on Wed 10 Dec 2003 09:09:42 AM PST