New manned missions to Moon, Mars --- what do you think?

Is anyone else excited about the new manned missions that NASA is planning to the Moon and Mars? Even though the missions are several years out, the systems are in development now.

The shuttles will be retired in a few years and then NASA will shift to a new capsule-type vehicle called Orion to transport astronauts to space and back. The Orion capsule will be boosted into space using rocket systems derived from the shuttle boosters. For missions to the Moon, the capsule will dock with a separate lander and even larger rocket system that can boost the lander and capsule from Earth orbit to the Moon.

The overall system is called Constellation and the rockets that boost it into orbit are the Ares I and Ares 5. Some of the biggest rockets ever made are in development for this program. Systems derived from these will be able to send astronauts to Mars or to the asteroids. Here's some info on the NASA website about Constellation, the Orion vehicle, and the Ares rockets: NASA - Constellation Program: NASA's New Spaceships

I think it is really exciting! I barely remember the moon missions from when I was just a little kid. But I was so excited by it at the time and I always wondered why they didn't continue. I was enthusiastic about the shuttle program, but now I think that probably the shuttle was a long wrong turn and a detour from where we ought to be exploring in space. The shuttle could only go to low earth orbit, and we should be going to the moon and beyond. Finally we are working on those kinds of systems again!

I think it's great, but I haven't found too many people that are very interested, and most people don't even seem to know that NASA is actively building the new system right now.

Does anyone care?
What do you think about this?

I was a huge space junkie as a child. Unfortunately a lot of what I was fed was bullshit.

They funnel the money into weather control and other fun things They'll never go to the moon. It's a lot easier and cheaper to make most believe they are/did.

The very fact that with todays technology the missions are years away should set off alarm bells. They made it there the first time with a commodore running things? but it'll take them nearly a decade to get their shit together this time.

pffff plz....

Ruskies couldn't get close. Mission after mission failed and anyone having studied space history must concede that they had a pretty good grasp of space doings.

3 posts sorry, rambling thoughts after just toking :p

Seriously, they should just give up on space exploration and get down under the ocean's surface. I cannot emphasize this point enough - there is absolutely no evidence of life or even somewhat profitable enterprises in space, while we know there is life underwater, and we've only explored something like 7% of the ocean bottom. Who knows what we could find down there?

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Originally Posted by mikeyjo

Ruskies couldn't get close. Mission after mission failed and anyone having studied space history must concede that they had a pretty good grasp of space doings. :p

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I agree the Russians have a great grasp of space doings, but I don't think they ever made any failed attempts at the moon did they? I think they viewed the moon as a race, as the Americans did, and once the race was lost, they gave it up. I have a feeling that maybe the Americans gave it up too after considering it "won." And maybe the American efforts now are due to a new race with the Chinese, who have stated an interest in the moon, and a new race with the Russians, who are regaing some momentum in their space program.

Chk it out. Surprised me when I saw it.

Chronology of the Moon Race

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Originally Posted by mikeyjo

Chk it out. Surprised me when I saw it.

Chronology of the Moon Race

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Thanks. Intersting timeline. It looks like the Russians were never able to get that N1 launcher to work, so they didn't have the power send a manned mission to the moon.

I've been interested in the idea of space exploration for a long time myself, and I always wondered why operations weren't continued in regards to the moon. At our current level of technology we could have had a permanent settlement on the moon for years now. Also we could be mining asteroids in the near future for new and possibly invaluable minerals.
We could plant the seeds (so to speak) on mars by terraforming and in the distant future if we've raped the earth to the point that it's become unlivable then there is another option.

I've got a huge boner on for this too. I would really like to look up at the moon at some point in my life and say, there's life on that celestial object up there millions of miles away.