I can't help but wonder what Obama was thinking when he decided to change the next goal of NASA from going back to the moon to build a permanent base to visiting an asteroid. It has taken nearly four years for DAWN to reach the orbit of Vesta and it will only make a flyby. The way I see it a manned mission would take nearly as long as we would still depend on orbital mechanics to get there and back. I sincerely doubt that we can build a vehicle with enough power and fuel to get to one any faster and if there were an engine failure there would be no rescue party to retrieve them.

Going to the moon is so much simpler and smarter. From the moon we can build the spacecraft that will be needed to send men to explore the rest of the solar system. We should regard the moon as the replacement for the ISS.

But as it looks now the USA will not launch another manned spacecraft for decades if at all.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Dawn shall orbit Vesta for one year and then will go to Ceres. It has an ion propulsion system. To refine its orbit around Vesta it will need more data on the mass of Vesta. It is a very advanced vehicle. It took four years to reach Vesta with its ion propulsion system.
Tullio

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Bob,
I think the US just ran out of money for the return to the Moon project. Obama didn't want to be seen as a complete party pooper so they set a goal of visiting an asteroid. And you know full well its never going to happen!

Bob i like your line of thought about the Moon being the replacement for the ISS. Its time for mankind to stop fighting with each other and put the military budget into science and space exploration instead. Then we can all go for holidays to the Moon.

John.

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