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[::..about this blog..::]
"...all these worlds..." is a blog by David Hitt. It covers space exploration, decent science fiction, humor (by its very nature), and whatever else I happen to find cool. (Formerly "You Must Fight The Bear")
Name: David Hitt About Me: Inspiring the next generation of explorers... See my complete profile
[::..disclaimer..::]
The opinions expressed on this page are those of the author, and very likely no one else.
[::..archive..::]
:: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 ::
Fly Me To The Moon Since establishing a long-term presence on the Moon won the recent Dave poll, I'm including a link to this Wired article about the future of lunar exploration. Among the things it talks about is whether there is accessible water on the surface of the Moon, which many now believe there may be in the shadowy bottom of deep craters or around the poles. If it's discovered that there are ice deposits on the surface, then the Moon might be considered a much more attractive place to establish a colony. I would add, though, that I'm not necessarily sold on the idea of needing a "compelling reason" for manned exploration of other worlds. Such reasons are frequently brought up--what if they find water on the Moon, what if the find proof life existed on Mars, etc. But here's the catch--what if they don't? But what if they find that life has existed, or does exist, on Europa or Titan, or any of the places in our Solar System less dry and barren than the Moon or Mars? How practical would it be to begin manned exploration by attempting a first expedition to a Saturnian or Jovian moon? Rather than ending up in a position where we have a compelling but overly-challenging goal, we should begin making preparations today. There are any number of practical reasons to establish a lunar colony, among them enough resources to power civilization on Earth for 1,000 years cleanly and safely. But even if there weren't, we need the practice. We have the opportunity, without even leaving our own planetary system, to establish a colony on another world. If we encounter unanticipated challenges, home is just days away. We have the luxury of people able to get it right. And then, when we get ready to push onward, we have a new base that could be a potential resource for future exploration. The same is true for Mars--when we need to push on to the outer solar system, a hydrogen mining operation on the red planet could make things a lot easier, not to mention the benefits of experience in interplanetary travel.
