[meteorite-list] Bush's Space Initiative

From: Sterling K. Webb <kelly_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:32:02 2004
Message-ID: <400638FA.AF7D97B7_at_bhil.com>

     Hi,

         What's so good about the Moon?

         The TOP TEN Reasons Bush Picked the Moon:

         10.) Zero gee has turned out not to be beneficial as we
     thought it would be but positively dangerous and probably
     fatal if you float too long. We don't know if it's because
     it's ZERO gravity or because it's LOW gravity that there are
     negative health effects. But it's possible that the Moon's
     gravity may allow humans to work in it much longer than zero
     gee without ill effect. We hope... We don't really know since
     we haven't stayed on the Moon long enough to find out. So the
     first step is... go and stay for a while.

         9.) Bush said the Moon was to become a base for future
     exploration. That means a lunar industrial complex (physical
     plant and human society) capable OF BUILDING AND LAUNCHING
     SPACECRAFT has to be created on the Moon. Think about that for
     a while. Damn tall order. Combine the Johnson Space Center,
     Cape Kennedy, all NASA contractors and all their plants and
     personnel, and then move it to the Moon?
         Of course, there's only a quadtrillion tons of aluminum,
     titanium, and oxygen (and godnose what else) lying around
     everywhere you look on the Moon! Two weeks a month of
     continuous undimmed solar power, regolith full of Helium3 to
     build clean fusion reactors with, industrial strength vacuum
     in unending supply for fractional distillation, and a really
     permissive building code!

         8.) Escape velocity from the Moon (with a gravity well
     assist provided by plunging down at the Earth and missing it)
     is less delta-v than is required to leave the Earth from low
     orbit.

         7.) An actual solid working planetary surface to build
     things on. Let's face it, charming as it is to float like a
     dust mote in orbit, it's damn hard to work without some
     gravity. We're used to being on a WORLD and doing things
     there. It'll be tricky enough with just the low gravity. Look
     at how limited we are in what physical tasks we can do in
     orbit.

         6.) So much for Bush lacking "that vision thing."

         5.) Naked political ploy to lock up the lunar vote in
     2004!

         4.) Usamah bin Ladin could be hiding out there!.

         3.) The Moon isn't represented in the U.N.!

         2.) Halliburton already owns it!

         And (drum roll, please!) the Number One Reason Bush picked
     the Moon!

         1.) No Registered Democrats on the Moon!


     Sterling K. Webb
     -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



     CalSouth1_at_aol.com wrote:

          As there are quite a few space savvy folks on this
          list....just asking a question pertaining to Bush's
          speech.

          He said the moon was the logical place to initiate
          space exploration missions. Yet the moon has harsh
          environmental challenges.....and it seems those
          challenges are less on Mars. Only the distance is a
          problem.

          It would seem to me that a space station orbiting
          Earth would be the better place to initiate trips to
          Mars and beyond?



          John
Received on Thu 15 Jan 2004 01:53:47 AM PST