DailyDirt: Space Exploration - The Next Generation

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

Mon, Mar 10th 2014 5:00pm — Michael Ho

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.

SpaceX wants to compete with larger aerospace companies to provide its launch systems for the US Air Force. Elon Musk says, "Frankly, if our rockets are good enough for NASA, why are they not good enough for the Air Force?" [url]
NASA's Project Morpheus is making progress in developing an autonomous landing vehicle for a variety of terrains. A recent successful flight makes it look easy to get a vehicle to land on a rocky surface. [url]
NASA is also looking for some commercial partners to help it develop robotic lunar landers. 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. [url]

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Filed Under: elon musk, exploration, lunar lander, manned missions, mars, moon, morpheus, space
Companies: nasa, spacex, virgin galactic

9 Comments

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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.
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OldMugwump (profile), 10 Mar 2014 @ 5:48pm

Re: What about perchlorate?
What?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.]
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Anonymous Coward, 10 Mar 2014 @ 9:07pm

Re: Re: Re: Lunar Property rights
Ohhh - I think you underestimate their stupidity.
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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.
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