Why do you think NASA is retiring the shuttle and focusing on returnnig to the Moon?

Question

As most of you may know, NASA is retiring the shuttles in 2010 and moving on to a new project: Constellation. The focus of Constellation is to return to the Moon and go to Mars and beyond. NASA states that the reason for Constellation and its return to the Moon is to gain more knowledge.

My question is: Why do YOU think that NASA is going back to the Moon?

Answer 1

I personally think Walmart is behind it...Just think when man finally settles the moon and mars he will be able to shop and pay everyday low prices.

But no it is a PR scheme to get people interested in space again. Once Obama gets in office and pulls troops out of Iraq we will have no where to spend a billion dollars of taxpayer money a day.

So we will seek out new life, send in troops and take out their leader in a pre-emptive strike to protect our freedoms....God Bless America

Answer 2

Because the president told them to do it.

Answer 3

Hmm...maybe because they've finally smartened up and realized that the space shuttle was a badly designed spacecraft and mostly a huge waste of money?

Unfortunately, that doesn't seem very likely. It seems to me that the new program is first and foremost a publicity stunt, and also a response to the growing space interests of such countries as China and India. What else it ultimately leads to we'll have to wait and see. At any rate, it is at least an improvement over the space shuttle program.

Answer 4

They are returning to the Moon because they were told to. This is only one way to explore space, but it's a good one.

The U.S. taxpayer, through Congress, pays the bills. When Congress tells NASA what to do, they do it.

Answer 5

Tts the closest land object in space.. we can use the resources there and make bases to do research as well.

Answer 6

To complete their secret moon base so that when the world ends in 2012, the human race will go on.

Or, they're running out of stuff to do.

Answer 7

It's funny you ask...  I'm working Constellation and for me it's like "Cool!  We're going back to the Moon."  But I hadn't really asked why.

There are all the 'we'll benefit from the science' explanations and they're true enough.  I think that humans are inherently adventurous; we want to explore.  Going to the Moon is a *big* objective - it provides something to pursue for a long while.

NASA is retiring the Shuttles because they've far, far exceeded their expected operational lifespans.  Every one of them was experimental and it was not planned for them to be in service as long as they have.

Answer 8

One of the things NASA does is study and explore space, the moon is the closest astronomical body, so it is logical to there first as a "stepping stone" to other destinations, like Mars and beyond.  It is a source for oxygen (from the rocky material) for future rocket fuel, and it is a weaker "gravity well", future missions beyond moon could take off from the moon saving much fuel and money.  Not to mention the potential for other scientific studies.  The far side would be a great place for a huge radio telescope for instance.  Optical telescopes would benefit too from a location without atmosphere.

As to the shuttle being retired, they are based on fairly old technology, and they did not turn out to be as cost effective as they were intended to be.  They were never intended/designed to be used beyond a fairly low earth orbit.  So they could not be used to go to the moon.

Answer 9

Defense contractors are hungry for new business.  A moon program makes a LOT of people VERY rich.

But I doubt seriously if it will happen.  There is no public support for such madness.  There aren't any commies to beat.  The moon and Mars are worthless. And there isn't any money.  The US is so deeply in debt that the INTEREST on the national debt absorbs half of what the government takes in.  The war in Iraq is being payed for with borrowed money.

Congress, while it would normally love a great jobs program isn't going to provide money for a project hat nobody wants.  This is Boondoggle with a Capital B.  With the rising price of energy, the cost of space travel will become prohibitive.  Science missions will increasingly take the budget axe. The era of space exploration is at an end.

Answer 10

After two major shuttle disasters with significant loss of life, NASA has decided that the shuttle is inherently unsafe and the fleet is expensive to maintain. By retiring the shuttle and using a less expensive means of returning astronauts to earth NASA can concentrate on other programs such as manned missions to the moon and Mars. The moon missions though, are probably mainly for PR purposes to get public support and therefore funding. Missions to Mars and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn will probably generate more interest but the technology needed for those trips is under development.