I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@SamanthaJaneSmith how is it political theater for a specific admin if it has spanned multiple?
-
@SamanthaJaneSmith
Unless we invent a radically new technology, particularly the probably impossible solution to travelling to the stars in a generation ship, sending humans to the Moon, Mars or Jupiter's moons is pointless. Do as much science sending machines at a tiny fraction of the cost.
No point to a Moon or Mars base either.@raymaccarthy @SamanthaJaneSmith This is the main reason, the race is on again: https://phys.org/news/2026-03-moon-china.html
-
@raymaccarthy @SamanthaJaneSmith This is the main reason, the race is on again: https://phys.org/news/2026-03-moon-china.html
-
@raymaccarthy That too. @SamanthaJaneSmith
-
R relay@relay.publicsquare.global shared this topic
-
@SamanthaJaneSmith This has nothing to do with "Getting to Mars" or expanding space travel, and everything to do with land grab.
They're going to the side of the moon that cannot be seen from Earth, perfect for ensuring nobody can physically see what you are up to. NASA has already said it intends to build a base on the moon, and let's not forget why NASA was created. It was created in response to the Russians and Sputnik. Now, America is in a new race with China just about everywhere.
@dick_turpin I didn't even get into the rationale behind manned space as a whole. Too long a post.
But we know the US military wants to know about dominating space.
-
@SamanthaJaneSmith It's a nice revival.
Summer of 69...
The US is going to the moon, is involved in a war they're going to lose, and there's a crook in the white house.
@Tubemeister @SamanthaJaneSmith History repeats - but maybe the NASA guys will come to the EU and take part in ESA?
-
@dick_turpin I didn't even get into the rationale behind manned space as a whole. Too long a post.
But we know the US military wants to know about dominating space.
@SamanthaJaneSmith I suspect you know more than me but I beleive the moon is a dead planet. All this talk of ice and minerals is a load of old rubbish, but the Russians have proved humans can survive in space for a long time with Mir, so building a structure on the moon is probably trivial by comparison.
Imagine the horror that would sweep through America if NBC broadcast images of the Chinese flag on the moon?
-
@SamanthaJaneSmith how is it political theater for a specific admin if it has spanned multiple?
@synth Politicians in all parties since spaceflight began have used NASA as a means to push their own political ambitions and to get support for their vision of America. Often to the detriment of both astronauts and the country as a whole. An example was the political decision surrounding the SRBs on the shuttle program. Lives were lost due to politics.
At no point did I say that only Trump does this or has done this. I didn't get into much of the political rational behind funding spaceflight, particularly manned, but it's really only about control and domination of space. The politicians and funders don't give a damn about engineering and science. Those are by products of the drive to control space.
Manned spaceflight is a product of this desire and is therefore a show that is very useful to politicians and at this time specifically Trump. If another person was in the white house and this was happening I would say the same. But what makes it worse now is that Trump is gutting the rest of NASA, at least in the past science has survived. So more than ever it is now a show for the public while NASA is prepared for it's demise.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@SamanthaJaneSmith Yet another desperate attempt at denying the complete failure of a dying economic system to advance mankind.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@SamanthaJaneSmith I have been feeling much the same way. It seems like a pointless spectacle to distract people from the problems happening at home. I guess I would be more enthusiastic about it if there were some actual tangible benefit to it other than the space colonization angle. It is hard to be enthusiastic about Team USA when the government is operating as a highly destructive anti-science criminal enterprise.
-
@SamanthaJaneSmith It's a nice revival.
Summer of 69...
The US is going to the moon, is involved in a war they're going to lose, and there's a crook in the white house.
@Tubemeister so lets repeat history with the 1968 revolution and the anti-war protests! @SamanthaJaneSmith
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
they probably wanted to get it out the door before Trump guts NASA
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@SamanthaJaneSmith People in the USA should be aware that this flight would have been impossible without European tech! The rogue US regime might collect all honor for themselves but Artemis would never have started with US tech only.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@SamanthaJaneSmith There can be only one reason Trump is firing them up to a moon landing - he wants to find OIL up there.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
I am no friend of Trump.
I understand that Trump is temporary, Jan 2029 he will be removed from power, maybe sooner through a newly elected congress, or the stress or diabetes will take 80 year old man. Trump's days are numbered.As a NASA employee you would understand that the science to travel to Mars or anywhere out the moon require technology we currently do not have for a human to land, survive, and live and perform their duties on Mars comfortably.
Outside the Earth's magnetosphere is Gama Cosmic radiation will cut through any craft and will damage the DNA of any Mars astronaut, and realistically we are century away from creating a safe and reasonable plan for a traveler to land on Mars and come back to Earth.
The current Moon landing is not about a creating a event, nor should we measure success based on that. It is about surveying possibilities of creating a space-port for space craft in the future. That future of that space-port may not be a few years, it may be decades or a century. The ground work have to be laid for the future, and requires a scope see further than the present.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@SamanthaJaneSmith boosting this because it needs saying , thank you sjs
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@GlasWolf @SamanthaJaneSmith This sums up perfectly why I just don't care that people are off to the moon. I hope they come back safe though.
-
@synth Politicians in all parties since spaceflight began have used NASA as a means to push their own political ambitions and to get support for their vision of America. Often to the detriment of both astronauts and the country as a whole. An example was the political decision surrounding the SRBs on the shuttle program. Lives were lost due to politics.
At no point did I say that only Trump does this or has done this. I didn't get into much of the political rational behind funding spaceflight, particularly manned, but it's really only about control and domination of space. The politicians and funders don't give a damn about engineering and science. Those are by products of the drive to control space.
Manned spaceflight is a product of this desire and is therefore a show that is very useful to politicians and at this time specifically Trump. If another person was in the white house and this was happening I would say the same. But what makes it worse now is that Trump is gutting the rest of NASA, at least in the past science has survived. So more than ever it is now a show for the public while NASA is prepared for it's demise.
@SamanthaJaneSmith For sure, politics is deeply intertwined with space exploration and especially so with manned missions. It was really just this bit I was iffy about: ‘Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.’ The clarification that you’d say the same regardless of who’s in office is good context. I wholeheartedly agree with your point about utility and the current admin gutting science.
You definitely know more about this world than I, so thanks for the insight.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
Not to mention the massive burning of fossile fuels.
-
I feel I need to say something about Artemis as a former NASA employee, Space scientist and engineer.
I hope more than anything that the astronauts get back safely. But let us not be fooled by what this is.
Is it spectacular, yes. Is it a feat of engineering, yes. Does it make any advance in science, no. Does it help mankind explore the universe, dubious at best.
Why exactly are we sending humans to the moon? With our technology we will never send humans much further than Mars. The only way humans can possibly go further is through a scientific breakthrough. Good luck with that when Trump is gutting science.
Human exploration needs money spent on long-term advances - not using the same technology to do what we did before, however, glamorous it is.
So why do this and why do it now? Political theatre, a win for a Trump led NASA if it succeeds.
So I hope all works well and all return safely. But let us be clear what this is and why it is being done.
This is my opinion, I do not represent anyone.
@SamanthaJaneSmith I don't know a lot about this rocket machine ~ but question: is it really much of an engineering feat?
Cursory wikipedia jaunt implies this rocket is kit-bashed from spare parts from the 1950s-1980s/shuttle program.
Obviously getting to space etc. is a grand feat, but (and perhaps to your point), none of the big things here seem new or inventive or ... if you will ... 'engineer-y'
