It's a few days past the anniversary and I am surprised not to see any posts. The science channel ran a nice 2 hour special Sunday night with a lot of previously unshown film footage. And now I am finally seeing evidence that NASA is really planning to go back by 2024. It's amazing what a little interest by the Chinese in sending men to the moon has done to light a fire under NASA to give priority to returning to the moon. I, for one, am glad to see this as I may still be alive to witness the event.

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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.

On July 20 1969 I was asked by "Epoca" magazine, a Mondadori publication, if I was able to translate the conversations between the Apollo 11 lander and the Houston Capcom (Capsule communicator). I said I could try and was given three secretaries to which I dictated my online translation. I translated 70 typewritten pages in 24 hours and they were published by Epoca. I still have a copy.
Days later I received a letter by Giorgio Mondadori, one of Arnaldo's sons,, with thanks and a 270000 lire cheque. At that time my monthly pay at Edizioni Scientifiche Mondadori was 150000 lire. I used it as a partial paymen of my first car, a Fiat 128, which then cost 960000 lire.
Tullio

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I didn't think to look there as I assumed the event rated it's own thread.

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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.

To my mind it seems the best way to return to the moon and continue to fund the ISS would be to use the ISS as an initial staging point for missions to the moon. Once the Orion capsule has been launched and sent to the moon it should return via the ISS and stay in orbit to be refueled for the next mission. One of the private venture LEO vehicles could be used to shuttle the astronauts back and forth from earth to the ISS. This would probably entail adding a repair and refueling module to the ISS and sending technicians to the ISS during the time it takes to prepare the Orion module for it's next trip to the moon. It would also be necessary to launch a replacement moon lander for each mission, but this wouldn't require the same heavy launch vehicle needed to launch the full stack all the way to the moon for each mission. This would give the ISS a continuing purpose for being maintained indefinitely.

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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.

The biggest problem with that, even though it is sensible, is the refuelling aspect.
Launch vehicles for that will still be needed to replenish the fuel module.
With companies being cost conscious these days, it'll only take one error & bye bye not only Orion but the ISS as well.
In less than 30 seconds, Gus Grissom, Ed White & Roger Chaffee in Apollo 1 lost their lives.
AND that was on the ground.

I think that we need a proper, new space station as the first step. Then a Moon base and possibly on to Mars if we can solve the cosmic ray problem--this may be a problem on the Moon as well.

NASA is planning a Gateway space station orbiting the Moon and not the Earth. Astronauts should go from that to the surface of the Moon and return to it before establishing a permanent lunar base, which would certainly need a nuclear reactor as a first step.
Tullio

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NASA is planning a Gateway space station orbiting the Moon and not the Earth. Astronauts should go from that to the surface of the Moon and return to it before establishing a permanent lunar base, which would certainly need a nuclear reactor as a first step.
Tullio

or a solar furnace.

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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.

It seems to me that NASA is determined to put men (and women) back on the moon by 2024 which I fully support. It would be nice to live to see astronauts walking on the moon again. I was 20 years old when Apollo 11 made it's historic trip to the moon. For a while here in the last decade I was afraid I would never see manned missions beyond leo before I die. I doubt that I will live long enough to see a manned mission to Mars or an asteroid. Even though it will be a long time before humans leave the solar system there is still a lot that we can accomplish in our own solar system.

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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.

The first thing astronauts should do on the Moon is to build a shelter against cosmic rays. They would need a power source and then some ice to produce oxygen and hydrogen by hydrolisis. A nuclear reactor would provide the power, the ice should be found in the bottom of craters.
Tullio

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What is an effective shield against cosmic rays. The answer would be important for a putative Mars expedition and colony as well.

I have seen that, as planned for habitats on Mars too, astronauts will most likely seek out suitable subsurface caverns to inhabit as they are naturally shielded from cosmic radiation. Also eventually they hope to find ways to enhance the human immune system to repair cellular damage.

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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.

How NASA Will Protect Astronauts From Space Radiation at the Moon
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2019/how-nasa-protects-astronauts-from-space-radiation-at-moon-mars-solar-cosmic-rays/
How to Protect Astronauts from Space Radiation on Mars
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/real-martians-how-to-protect-astronauts-from-space-radiation-on-mars
Concrete and rocks are also good protection if you build some buildings.
Then there are also lava tubes at Mars that you could use.
Lava tube at Earth.