A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
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Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#2I like these parts:
"There are no known technical barriers to the establishment of a manned installation on the moon."
"There is a requirement for a manned military outpost on the moon. The lunar outpost is required to develop and protect potential United States interests on the moon; to develop techniques in moon-based surveillance of the earth and space, in communications relay, and in operations on the surface of the moon; to serve as a base for exploration of the moon, for further exploration into space and for military operations on the moon if required"
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#3I like these parts: "There are no known technical barriers to the establishment of a manned installation on the moon." "There is a requirement for a manned military outpost on the moon. The lunar outpost is required to develop and protect potential United States interests on the moon; to develop techniques in moon-based surveillance of the earth and space, in communications relay, and in operations on the surface of…
The first is technically true, though. There is very little new technology which would have to be developed to establish an outpost on the moon, it would just be ridiculously expensive to ship everything up there.
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#4In 1967, the US signed the Outer Space Treaty. Article IV states that the "establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications… …on celestial bodies shall be forbidden".
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#5I like these parts: "There are no known technical barriers to the establishment of a manned installation on the moon." "There is a requirement for a manned military outpost on the moon. The lunar outpost is required to develop and protect potential United States interests on the moon; to develop techniques in moon-based surveillance of the earth and space, in communications relay, and in operations on the surface of…
Today, and potentially then as well, there is virtually no strategic value to the moon whatsoever. Surveillance of earth and space and communications can both be done more cost-effectively by satellites, exploring further into space is not especially easier with the help of a moon base since the moon is still well enough within Earth's gravity well not to make for a useful waypoint to outlying destinations, and the other justifications are completely question-begging.
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#6In 1967, the US signed the Outer Space Treaty. Article IV states that the " establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications… …on celestial bodies shall be forbidden ". http://www.state.gov/www/global/arms/treaties/space1.html
We'll see how realistic that is when some vital resource is discovered in Antarctica.
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#7In 1967, the US signed the Outer Space Treaty. Article IV states that the " establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications… …on celestial bodies shall be forbidden ". http://www.state.gov/www/global/arms/treaties/space1.html
We'll see how realistic that is when some vital resource is discovered in Antarctica.
I have no idea what your comment has to do with the parent? Sorry, confused, could you clarify?
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#8Earlier quoted context omitted.
We'll see how realistic that is when some vital resource is discovered in Antarctica.
I have no idea what your comment has to do with the parent? Sorry, confused, could you clarify?
There is a similar treaty that applies to Antarctica. We know how to build bases there (there are over 50 research stations in Antarctica). If the Antarctic Treaty was broken by building a military base, there'd be a precedence for building a military base on the Moon too — once we've figured out how — and breaking the Outer Space Treaty.
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#9I like these parts: "There are no known technical barriers to the establishment of a manned installation on the moon." "There is a requirement for a manned military outpost on the moon. The lunar outpost is required to develop and protect potential United States interests on the moon; to develop techniques in moon-based surveillance of the earth and space, in communications relay, and in operations on the surface of…
Today, and potentially then as well, there is virtually no strategic value to the moon whatsoever. Surveillance of earth and space and communications can both be done more cost-effectively by satellites, exploring further into space is not especially easier with the help of a moon base since the moon is still well enough within Earth's gravity well not to make for a useful waypoint to outlying destinations, and the o…
IMO we should really be building a Lunar outpost, not because it has strategic value at this moment, but because it will have that in the future. When travel to the rest of the solar system will be more commonplace, having an outpost on the moon is of really large strategic importance.
I wish humanity could still do big, ambitious projects like that.
Re: A U.S. Army Study for the Establishment of a Lunar Outpost - 9 June 1959
#10The zero-G to high-G simulator (diagram at the bottom) is wonderful. Drop a sled down cliff for zero-G, then bottom out with a tight radius circle like a centrifuge. Wow.