Why Has Moon Exploration Declined Despite Advances in Space Travel?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dgtech
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Moon
Click For Summary
Moon exploration has declined due to a lack of compelling reasons to return, despite advancements in space travel technology. The energy required to travel from low Earth orbit to the Moon remains significant, and current rocket technology has not evolved substantially since the Apollo missions. Additionally, NASA's focus has shifted towards asteroid missions rather than lunar exploration, influenced by funding priorities. Concerns about astronaut safety in deep space, particularly regarding solar radiation, further complicate manned missions to the Moon. Overall, the combination of technical challenges and shifting priorities has led to a stagnation in lunar exploration efforts.
  • #31
So you suggest orbital stations make no sense, and it would be more efficient to continue launching chemical rockets and trying to defy the huge gravity well our planet is each and every time, with all the costs and risks of failure associated?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
dgtech said:
So you suggest orbital stations make no sense, and it would be more efficient to continue launching chemical rockets and trying to defy the huge gravity well our planet is each and every time, with all the costs and risks of failure associated?
That is a straw man argument.

You have claimed that it is cheaper/better/faster to use an orbital space station, and in particular, the ISS, as a base. I, and others, have shown that this is not the case. You are vastly oversimplifying what is a very hard problem.
 
  • #33
dgtech said:
So you suggest orbital stations make no sense, and it would be more efficient to continue launching chemical rockets and trying to defy the huge gravity well our planet is each and every time, with all the costs and risks of failure associated?

The point is, it is only more cost-effective if we also transport most of JFK Space Centre and its satellite manufacturing companies up there as well. And even that doesn't do anything about the fuel problem (there is no water up there to even convert to fuel).
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
3K
  • · Replies 24 ·
Replies
24
Views
5K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
3K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
3K
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K
  • Sticky
  • · Replies 48 ·
2
Replies
48
Views
66K
Replies
5
Views
4K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
9K