China Plans to Build a Moon Base Near the Lunar South Pole

A space station makes the most sense...in almost every possible way, including relocation and access to resources.

 

Space stations lack the long term scope and scale to sustain large populations. You can only build them so big, whereas the limitations are removed on the surface of a planet or moon. You can connect multiple communities on the surface, with minimum materials. None of that addresses the bigger issue at hand, that being air and water, which will only be found on planets and have to be transported to stations. Granted that isn't the point in regards to the moon or Mars, but you have to look further ahead...

 

Things they be a changin'

 

The need for air and water doesn't change nor does where it is available. Nor have humans proven they could build such a large structure that would sustain large numbers of humans for years or decades much less maintain one off planet...

 

Both air and water are obtained with asteroid manipulation and Humans are currently building the capability for off world habitation both in Government and commercial ventures.

 

Its called theory, and we don't even know if we'll be able to do much with asteroids, much less harvest anything from them, whereas we can build structures on terrestrial surfaces now, we do it every day. Adjusting our buildings to another planet is fairly easy in comparison to the requirements to arrive at an asteroid, land on it, complete the extraction of resources, pack every thing back together, and then return, not to mention the fuel and other risks associated with the travel alone...

 

It may be that you are not up to date on current technology or off planet requirements for construction vs. terrestrial. Virtually none (as in 0) of the materials and techniques used to build you house can or will be used or even considered off planet As for all the other issues you bring up, they exists for every off world adventure so are not relevant. "Theory" will soon be reality.

 

I understand building a house on Mars isn't the same as building one here, but the core concepts remain, we understand the process even if the materials change. The process is to get the materials there and then build. That's a one way trip with materials then using those materials, all the while there exists local support if anything goes wrong. Humans are safer on a planet's surface than in the vacuum of space. Whether Mars or the moon, whatever we build as a permanent structure should be versatile enough to survive either place.

If asteroid mining were as profitable as they say, someone would already be doing it, regardless of the cost the return would be exponentially higher, yet that isn't the case. In this case the theory shows potential, the reality of it is something else entirely.

 

It really does seem you do not quite understand what is going on here. No matter what we will not be launching the materials used for a base and anything on any celestial body will be very dangerous unless underground. Asteroid mining is not taking place yet because we are just now developing the technology to do so....did you even watch the Video?

 

Asteroid mining is theoretical, it is one thing to say it can be done, it is another to do it. It goes beyond the technology, the logistics we understand now are outrageous to imagine on such an operation. None of which accounts for equipment failure or other problems outside the operation itself.

 

You should watch the video, do a bit of research and then call up the companies doing this to stop because it is just theoretical and they do not understand the logistics.

 

The US future in space has nothing to do with your xenophobic comments about bathrooms. China is well on it's way to becoming Earth's superpower and the US in many instances will be left in their dust. It's not a matter of 'if' but 'when'. Meanwhile China is acting like one of Earth's grownups regarding space exploration...

 

"xenophobic?"

 

Xenophobia is the fear or hatred of that which is perceived to be foreign or strange.[1][2][3] Xenophobia can involve perceptions of an ingrouptowards an outgroup and can manifest itself in suspicion of the activities of others, and a desire to eliminate their presence to secure a presumed purity and may relate to a fear of losing national, ethnic or racial identity.[4]

Xenophobia can also be exhibited in the form of an "uncritical exaltation of another culture" in which a culture is ascribed "an unreal, stereotyped and exotic quality".[4] According to UNESCO, the terms xenophobia and racism often overlap, but differ in how the latter encompasses prejudice based on physical characteristics while the former is generally centered on behavior based on the notion of a specified people being adverse to the culture or nation.[5]

Your bathroom comment about particular people's needs and the politicization was unnecessary...and is not the reason China is moving faster than the US...

 

No wonder I didn't understand what you were talking about! I thought you thought I was being Xenophobic against the Chinese! Instead I'm xenophobic against PC culture? I think that sort of stupidity that you've just demonstrated is why the Chinese will beat us in the space race, and every other type of race.

 

Yeah right...they're already beating us! It's always interesting to me people like yourself who hide behind your computer screen and attack others? When you make comments like "...making sure we had 52 bathrooms for each appropriate gender, and that the station's crew reflect diversity instead of skills..." is a 100% unnecessary personal attack when discussing China going to the Moon. You detest people who deserve private bathroom facilities, you detest diversity, and you childishly attack me as being 'stupid'...and you think I'm the reason the US is not beating China in space...hilarious...

 

First, I didn't make a personal attack against you. I didn't call you stupid, I said that your argument that I was xenophobic was stupidity.

Second, the idea that I "detest people who deserve private bathroom facilities"...well see my comment on your previous argument.

In related news; from NASA:

NASA plans to send first woman to moon by 2024

Just curious if trans qualifies, or are NASA engineers a bunch of bigots?

 

I suppose when a Transgender person passes astronaut training...we shall see.

 

Does This Decision Qualify As A

BRAVO Trump ?​

I didn't catch the gender part but, I did find almost the same story.
https://news.yahoo.com/fly-moon-trump-wants-shift-223047601.html

Fly Me to the Moon: Trump Wants to Shift $1.6 Billion
from Pell Grants to NASA​

. . . . NASA will receive $21.5 billion in 2019 and Trump’s original 2020 budget request in March called for cutting that to $21 billion, but the administration is now seeking $22.6 billion, a difference of $1.6 billion. NASA chief Jim Bridenstine said the money would be just “a down payment” on the moon project, which will require additional funds in the coming years. . . .


Pell Grants. Poor Student Funding.
Poor students will always find a way if so motivated!


Moi
Daddy worked in aerospace including
the Viking Landers on Mars.
Usually forgotten in all those Mars failures.

Across an immense, unguarded, ethereal border, Canadians, cool and unsympathetic,
regard our America with envious eyes and slowly and surely draw their plans against us. ​

 

This administration and their followers do not recognize 'trans' people as gender legitimate...NASA engineers who will not stand up for the equal rights of all people are indeed bigots...

 

The USA needs every educated/trained brain cell we can find.

Even just China has more than 3X our allotment of this resource - the resource critical to Earth's coming economy.

The idea of making education harder is absolutely and totally anti-American. It's traitorous. It's exactly what every opposing nation would pray for.

 

Can you show me a plan for a surface structure that will protect humans from the constant high energy radiation of space on a planetoid that has no magnetosphere?

So far, we've found that humans are harmed even by ISS residency, which is still substantially protected by our magnetosphere.

 

To the extent that "NASA engineers" choose astronauts, I highly doubt they are qualifying candidates on the basis of factors other than mission requirements.

And, let's remember that every astronaut is a lab rat to some extent. We send them up and then study them when they return to see how much damage they received and how/whether they recover. So, having some females in space isn't purely some "equal opportunity" employment thing.

Sooner or later, someone is going to notice that having a population in space includes understanding procreation, including in low g and high radiation environments.

 

The plans you want aren't likely to be available or perhaps not drawn up, but that changes nothing in terms of which is more cost effective in the long term, terrestrial building, or asteroid mining...

 

There is great progress being made by NASA and its partners....maybe another 5-10 years but, here's a good little video.