DailyDirt: Space Exploration - The Next Generation

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Plenty of space geeks complain about the seemingly stalled progress in manned space missions, pointing out that plans to go back to the moon (or to Mars or to an asteroid) sound unlikely to happen within a Baby Boomer's lifetime. Sure, there might be some touristy flights to the near edge of space with Virgin Galactic, but really inspiring never-been-done-before space walks on another planet aren't coming any time soon (unless you count some suicide missions). Here are just a few links on the future of space transportation. If you'd like to read more awesome and interesting stuff, check out this unrelated (but not entirely random!) Techdirt post via StumbleUpon.
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Filed Under: elon musk, exploration, lunar lander, manned missions, mars, moon, morpheus, space
Companies: nasa, spacex, virgin galactic


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2014 @ 5:38pm

    What about perchlorate? I am not a prospective customer of Mr Musk, yet I am to digest it with food. We had this business model for some 2 centuries. They made tons of money, and we pay for Superfund.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2014 @ 6:28pm

    NASA will be accepting proposals for the next couple weeks, and these potential partnerships could bring up the legality of lunar property rights if commercial companies want to mine the moon's resources.

    Which is why letting private companies trend into space was an idiotic idea .. imagine the companies involved with frac mining here in the U.S. going to the moon that controls the tides among other things and chipping away at it unregulated.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2014 @ 6:32pm

    Lunar Property rights

    Are you honestly afraid that people will mine the moon of so much mass that it will affect the tides? That would be hundreds of thousands of years to even make a dent into the overall mass. You are off by factors of a million or so if that is your real concern.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2014 @ 6:55pm

      Re: Lunar Property rights

      We as humans have a tendency to speed things along rather quickly if left unchecked .. so yes i think they would screw it up like everything else they touch.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2014 @ 7:38pm

      Re: Lunar Property rights

      I'm quite positive that corporate idiocy would produce an outcome far worse than a simple reduction in mass. For example, they might attempt to slow the angular velocity in an ill conceived attempt to decrease the cost of moving material.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • icon
        OldMugwump (profile), 10 Mar 2014 @ 8:05pm

        Re: Re: Lunar Property rights

        Hmm. Let's wait and deal with that problem...if and when it comes up.

        [Which might not be for, like, a million years.]

        link to this | view in chronology ]

        • identicon
          Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2014 @ 9:07pm

          Re: Re: Re: Lunar Property rights

          Ohhh - I think you underestimate their stupidity.

          link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Paraquat (profile), 10 Mar 2014 @ 9:22pm

    Property Rights

    Just wait until Big Corp starts lobbying for extending America's business model patents and copyrights to the moon and Mars. Viewing a crater of the moon through a telescope? You need a license! Writing a short story or a song about a mission to Mars? Hah, someone's got a patent on that! Want to flash a "moon" at somebody - heh, it's trademarked! You have to pay for play.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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