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Many members of the public I have spoken to, and some of the opinion
pieces I have read, think that the idea is, in fact, to "build a ship on
the moon and then launch the ship from the Moon and go to Mars." That
was the impression I got from the first e-mail.

True, we're not going for a quick mission, but a long-term presence. The
idea is, yes, to prove technologies and techniques on the Moon before
trying them tens of millions of miles away. The idea is to establish a
base with gradually lengthening overstays and a gradually enlarging
infrastructure. The idea is to use the moon as a "jumping-off point" not
necessarily in a literal sense, but in the sense of a practical base of
knowledge.

What I am speaking to are these misconceptions of many people about what
this plan entails, and saying "yes, you're right, it doesn't seem to
make sense to do things that way, but that's not exactly the plan." In
painting concepts with a broad brush, I admit i'm glossing over a lot of
fine points, and not going into the details of orbital mechanics, as you
mention. Still, as a planetarium educator I've seen a lot of interest in
this, and I hope my colleagues in the informal science education
community can use my comments. I apologize if I have communicated gross
misconceptions myself.

I was not yet born when Apollo 13 had its brush with disaster, and so,
no, I was not listening when Kennedy spoke, through no fault of my own.
But I do know that space travel is probably the most difficult thing
we've ever tried to do, with the possible exception of tax reform. It is
not easy, not safe, not cheap, not simple; but I am by no means pushing
it beyond the scope of our endeavour because of this. If anything, I
have a hard time thinking a mere five or ten years into the future; I
always leap out to the next major glaciation or when the Atlantic ocean
floor starts subducting under North America again. (that's why I never
take vacations!) Space travel requires large-scale, long-term thinking.

Heck, without space travel, I'd be back to pointing out constellations
and little else...

Marc Taylor
Coordinator, Andrus Planetarium
Hudson River Museum
511 Warburton Avenue
Yonkers, NY 10701
(914) 963-4550 x223
Fax:  963-8558
[log in to unmask]


-----Original Message-----
From: Informal Science Education Network
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Jack Dunn
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2004 11:48 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Space Pork


ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
************************************************************************
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Marc Taylor wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
institutions.
>
************************************************************************
*****
>
>
>>Sorry to be so late to this discussion... it's been busy around here!
>>But no one seems to have answered this question, so I figured I'd
>>take a shot.
>
>  Then assemble everything on the moon
>>(by remote control, presumably), man the ship, push off gently and
>>drift toward Mars.
>
>
> But it makes no sense whatsoever to fly to the moon, match velocity,
> land, drag everything around in the Moon's gravity, kick up abrasive,
> obscuring dust, and then haul yourself out of the Moon's gravity well
> again. "Push off gently and drift to woward Mars" will work if you're
> talking about leaving Earth orbit, but not if you're talking about
> lifting off from the Moon.
>
Yes and no.  I fear we have been too long since the Moon landings
that many have forgotten basic orbital mechanics and the practical
ways space exploration may develop.

About 2 years ago, Dr. Paul Spudis at the Lunar and Planetary
Institute, came up with a very practical way to get back to
the Moon.  In fact, his argument was that we needed to go
to the Moon before we could ever go to Mars.  You can find
some of this in his book: "The Once and Future Moon," published by the
Smithsonian Institution University Press.  If you look at the
basic outline presented by the President, it seems to suggest
a long-term view with the return to the Moon first.  If you
read Spudis, you will understand why.   This going to Mars
is NOT as you folks have written, with a quick hop there to
build materials for the flight.  Think long term.  The Moon
is a lot easier to accomplish than Mars.  You establish
a colony there and build your experience there. This experience
is needed for the longer Mars flight.


> It has never been, not even since the days of Werner Von Braun, the
idea
> that we could take off in one vehicle from the surface of the Earth
and
> shoot in one piece to Mars. That's the stuff of Star Wars, and with
any
> reasonably foreeable technology is impossible. Although the gravity of
> the Moon is weaker, it's too much trouble.
Nope.  That isn't what is being said.  And exploration is always
"trouble."   This is not a reason to avoid it.  Didn't you listen
to what Kennedy said about doing things not because they are easy,
but because they are hard.  That's how civilization grows.

>
> It's another matter if we were to build a lunar manufacturing facility
> for rocket parts and fuel... but that's a very long way off indeed.
For
> now it makes far more sense to launch from Earth and assemble in
orbit.
>
Only if you are thinking we are going use the Moon as a quick
manufacturing stop in a hasty program.

> The moonbase (insofar as it is not simply astronautical/political
> vaporware) is concieved as a research base and a very early start of
> something much further down the line.

That being - going to Mars.>
>
> Marc Taylor
> Coordinator, Andrus Planetarium
> Hudson River Museum

Steve Hawley is a retired astronaut who grew up
just down the road from here in Salina, KS.  He
did some notable things like running the shuttle
arm to launch the Hubble (and repeated that function
on the first Hubble servicing mission).  A few
years ago, I hosted Steve here for a talk and I
remember something he said at the time.
In human history, civilizations usually advance
in technology for one main reason - wars.  A
space program is the only other way humanity has
ever advanced so fast.   (I'm simplifying the
whole discussion - but you get the idea).  So,
personally, I chose space.

Clear DARK Skies,

--
Jack Dunn - Mueller Planetarium - UNL

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