Quote:
Originally Posted by Elspode
Water on the moon means a couple of things. First, it means a source of water for possible human exploration. Second, it means a source of hydrogen for propulsion. The Moon can be a filling station for further exploration of space.
|
Hydrogen is not a fuel. That water means that with massive and extensive extraction equipment and with energy obtained from elsewhere, then some water may be extracted. Therefore an astronaut can have drinking water when he arrives to service machines that are doing science.
Limited water is only in deepest craters (that have no sun). Does not constitute sufficient water for anything major. And does not provide fuel - energy. It simply means frozen water can exist even on low gravity bodies that have no atmosphere. A major discovery along with living creatures that live in boiling sulfuric water. Facts necessary to learn more of god's laws.
Productive science means less men and more machines. Productive space science means NASA's budget should increase to as much as 50% devoted to science without launching humans. Science devoted to science; not to glory. Today we no longer send humans to deepest reaches of the ocean - because it is about science; not glory.
Why are the Martian Rovers so successful? Why is Hubble probably the most successful science tool in over 20 years? Because they are robots. Humans are back on earth. Who are the leaders in robot technology? Japanese. Why? Japanese are doing science for science - not for glory. Just another example of American job losses because too many would rather have glory than science.
Man in space means $80billion wasted on something that did near zero science. No way around that reality. $80billion of innovations that were stifled; that do not exist.
Again, water is not a fuel - does not provide energy. And requires massive energy to extract just enough for drinking water. Machines do not need drinking water. Are more productive in that same environment.