TelBoy

What's all that about then?

Has Bush really got nothing better to spend the money on??

If this isn't politics gone mad, i don't know what is.

mart360

nope its just space 1999 5 years late!!!!

i wouldnt mind going up there prehaps its the new guantanamo bay...

cept its on the wrong side of an airlock


mart

pslewis

Apparently Scoobynet have agreed to buy the first ticket, for ME!

Who would YOU send to the moon? Mr Blair doesn't qualify, OK?

Pete

UFO

It's just a feel good factor, only trying to gloss over the fact that he took his country and others to war in his last (this) term!

Not sure if the Americans will see through it though, not being xenophobic there, just suggesting that the majority may think "Oh great we'll get to go and stay on the moon!"

boxst

UFO:

Mmmm. Isn't America the place where some incredibly high proportion of the population has never left the country? So I'm not too sure they would want to go to the moon ...

Steve.

imlach

Nah...it's so they can put their only US Embassy on the moon, so the only way to get an entry visa is to visit their sole Embassy

When will we have the 1st suicide bomber on the moon?

UFO

Steve:

It's the novelty factor though, not really the fact that they will go or could go, even if they wanted to (as I imagine health issues will stop most).

andrew6321

its a political diversion designed to deflect TV airtime from his opponents...it has sod-all to do with any real urge to go there, scientific or otherwise....

his dad did the same thing in election year....so did Clinton...

TonyNesta

They need to get up there asap before someone else does and doesn't find any evidence of their 'first' trip in 1969. They'll need to take some flags, moon rover, and make loads of footprints to make it look convincing.

Bush is bricking it in case someone gets up there and proves the previous trips were all pretend.

T

akshay67

Unfortunately Americans will just say 'Wow, that's so cool, dooooode...I'm a gana vote Bush in the next election!'

pslewis

My brother-in-law watched them filmimg it all in Bray Studios - his house backed onto them!

Pete

UFO

You mean *cough* erectoral year */cough*

andrew6321

that's the one...

space programs & sex scandals - both excellent TV for the great American public....

UFO

Not forgetting an appearance on Jerry Springer, almost a dead cert then isn't it?

BuRR

I say yes.

I need a nightwatchman to look after that acre I bought a couple of years ago

class_A

As a geek, I'm actually quite excited. A moon base will serve as a useful training ground for a manned mission to Mars. It will force the development of a cheap spacecraft to replace the shuttle. Hopefully we will see a small, comfortable craft designed for people with a specific rocket for cargo, rather than the compromise that we have today called the Space Shuttle.

A moon base could eventually allow a spacecraft production facility to exist outside the Earth's atmosphere, meaning less fuel required onboard and therefore lower costs. It also allows other types of fuel and engine to be used, with less of a risk to the general population (ie. radioactive fuel).

With the XPrize contenders getting nearer to launch, and a moon base as a destination, the commercialisation and therefore cost reduction of space travel hopefully isn't too far away.

Plus, it isn't my tax that will be paying for it!

Fatman

PR. Pure PR. He wants to be re-elected, so he's gunning for public appeal. He must reckon the prospect of having America's 'prestige' raised by embarking on such grandiose projects must be very appealing to the voters.

I reckon it serves a two-fold purpose. Firstly, the aforementioned electoral reasons. Secondly, to distract the American public from the Iraqi situation.

matrix

That would mean that somebody has to go to the moon this time and not fake it like they did with Neil Amstrong and Buzz Aldrin the second men NOT to walk on the moon. Jules Verne was the first one NOT to do that.

[Edited by matrix - 1/10/2004 9:35:57 AM]

Crapaud62

The super new telescopes are supposed to be able to accurately see the moons surface these days. Do they ever pick up traces of bits from the Appollo missions eg lunar rover etc?

Mind you if it was a Rover it would have rusted away by now

super_si

makes you wonder if he'll fund nasa for a new shuttle?

Fatman

This BBC story suggests he says he will, yes.

johnfelstead

Can anyone say bankrupt? The guy is storing up enormous debt for that country as it is, projects like this are going to make the current deficit look like pennies. What would happen if the world bank turned round and asked for their money back? He would be OK but the vast majority of Americans would be in the ****ter, which would mean we would be too.

alcazar

iTrader: (2)

It's a bit like the Argies declaring war on us: it'll deflect people's attention away from the precarious state of their economy, but it'll all end in tears IMHO.
Alcazar

Leslie

The Moon will apply to join Europe then, so we can all subsidise it!

Les

Freak

i just hope they use the one acre of land i own on the moon... my rent isnt cheap

Katana

I still say China would be the first to have a moonbase. I mean, they've already got mooncakes..

scoobynutta555

Good to see such positive comments

Amazing comments from 'experts' on here purporting to know that the moon landings were fake.

Obviously it is electioneering, but there is a serious point that we should be furthering our reach and understanding of at least our solar system.

Yes it will be expensive, but IMO the benefits can't be assessed on dry accounting alone.

Only downpoint I can see is that it won't apparently be a multi- nation task, but a single nation one. Once a foothold is established on the moon by the US they'll regard it as the 51st state.

Also, I'd say the US is more than a bit concerned that the Chinese are making headway in their space program. I'd sooner Americans be up there 'mooning' than the Chinese.

gljam

Nah it'll be the 52nd state, we're the 51st with good ol' governor Blair looking after us

sti555

Manned space-station on the Moon - why??

Simple the earth is running out of cheese....

nasa are also looking into a new source of mars...

Don't think were running out of loo roll yet, I've heard theres loads round uranus!

LOL!!

I'll get my coat ahem..

fizzled

they will have to be quick . BUY 1 ACRE OF THE MOON $ . seen the ads?