Newt Gingrich's promise to build a base on the moon by 2020

[Jimbeaux]

caz_manc said:

Jimbeaux said:

People fail to realize the things we use everyday that were a result of the space program.

Any examples?

http://voices.yahoo.com/inventions-nasa-space-program-3547781.html

•TV Satellite Dish
•Medical Imaging (Cat Scans)
•Telescopes (that look for cancer)
•Vision Screening Systems
•Ear Thermometer
•Fire Fighter Equipment and Suits
•Smoke Detectors
•Cordless Tools
•Aerodynamic Wheels
•Thermal Gloves and Boots
•Space Pens (That write upside down)
•Shock Absorbing Helmets
•Ski Boots
•Failsafe Flashlight
•Invisible Braces for Teeth
•Joystick Controllers
•Advanced Plastics
•Enriched Baby Food
•Better Cardiac Pacemakers
•Protective Paints
•Scratch-resistant Glasses


Read more at Suite101: NASA Space Technology Inventions and Products: Space Travel, Space Flight, and Space Exploration Equals Technology | Suite101.com http://beverlybright.suite101.com/nasa-space-techn...

[AJS-]

Eric Mc said:

Virtually all the computing power we have today evolved out of space technology or military aerospace technology.
A lot of the microelectronics used in medical technology also originated from military/space engineering.


Most of the companies involved in aerospace and military are one and the same - so it's virtually imposssible to divorce the two disciplines.

The main space based technologies that affect our daily lives are -

GPS systems
communications satellites
weather satellites
earth resources satellites


There are also plenty of reserach probes and satellites which are learning new things about the earth, sun and other planets which will obne day lead to a bettter understanding of our planet and how its changes affect us.

Probably true, but firing a giant, manned firework at the moon seems like an elaborate research process to me. I wouldn't care if it was private, and I don't really care anyway since I don't pay US taxes (thanks Americans, Garmin works great!) but if I did I'm sure I would rather have a tax cut.

[Halb]

caz_manc said:

Jimbeaux said:

People fail to realize the things we use everyday that were a result of the space program.

Any examples?

jet packs
moon dust
bubble cars
death rays

[Crafty_]

^^ The biro IIRC ?

anyway, back on topic... the man wants to be president and was speaking in Florida, of course he's promising new space exploration. I would guess he'll say that stuff now and if he wins the primary it will be forgotten..

I saw some of the debate from Florida.. Gingrich and Romney were totally underwhelming to me. President Newt ? really ?

Santorum had more of a presence to him, but far as I can see he's a side show, it'll be Gingrich or Romney I think and from what I saw whoever it is will probably beat Obama, especially if the guy I saw on the NYC subway who "fking hated new york and its fking trains" had anything to do with it, "fk Obama man, we need a new president" he proclaimed rather loudly to the phone which was presumably delivering him the news !

The media were trying to make lots out of Gingrich working for Freddie Mac as a consultant before it went tits up..

[Zad]

Its a fair point. I have heard speeches from all the major candidates, and they are promising huge tax cuts and more money for armed forces / weapons / space / schools / etc, and the maths just doesn't add up, even if you squint at it in a darkened room. Promises are cheap.

Many of the true benefits of the space race are utterly intangible. Things like accelerating the development of semiconductors. Sure you can measure the sales of them, but you can't easily measure the number of lives they have saved (and hence of people now earning money and paying taxes) or of the people who now have well trained, well paid and well taxed jobs.

[Countdown]

Isn't this just another case of "Big Government" "Tax & Spend" ? Surely the antithesis of what Republicans stand for?

[Halb]

Crafty_ said:

^^ The biro IIRC ?

Biro was around decades before moon flight.
Are you thinking of that joke about NASA spending millions on a space pen and Russians using a pencil?

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/spacepen.ht...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_in_space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen

[MiniMan64]

http://www.pistonheads.co.uk/gassing/topic.asp?h=0...

Cough.

[anonymous-user]

It's about time we (the west) did something interesting & exciting. All the doom & gloom & beating ourselves up is getting a bit tedious. Good on him I say!

[andy_s]

I think there is a rose tinted 'hell guys, let's just do it' element to space exploration, but remember the situation at the time, it was as much about politics and technology racing against the eastern bloc as 'getting there'.

As for general technological advances, again, I think more technology came out of warfare and conflict than perhaps any other human activity.

[Jimbeaux]

Halb said:

Crafty_ said:

^^ The biro IIRC ?

Biro was around decades before moon flight.
Are you thinking of that joke about NASA spending millions on a space pen and Russians using a pencil?

http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/s/spacepen.ht...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Writing_in_space
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Pen

Ahh but that pen is not sold everywhere, the pencil is still just a pencil.

[caz_manc]

OK,

I think it looks like there has been some great inventions because of the need to improve technology created by the space race great.

But from what I can see a lot of people are advocating get a few wars going to improve technology. Bush already did that! Are all republicans thinking that way maybe?

[JuniorD]

The moon is so 1970s. We've been there and done that. It's time to put away the lunar comic books and get out the martian ones.

[Zad]

JuniorD said:

The moon is so 1970s. We've been there and done that. It's time to put away the lunar comic books and get out the martian ones.

You don't think China is a potential military threat then? The race to the moon was never about humanity, exploration, accelerating human achievement etc, it was about being Top Dog in the world. Of course along the way we (and I use the term loosely) did all of the above, and much more besides, but if China should get to the moon, then they would have a technical ability that none of the rest of the world has. That is potentially a huge political threat.

Any ability to get to Mars and back would inherently include an ability to get to the Moon. The difficult part is not getting from Earth to the Moon, down, up and back again. That's quite easy due to the lack of atmosphere. In technical terms you can pretty much do it with an office chair and two CO2 fire extinguishers. No, the hard part is the first few hundred miles, the heavy lifting from the Earth's surface to low orbit.

[Jimbeaux]

caz_manc said:

OK,

I think it looks like there has been some great inventions because of the need to improve technology created by the space race great.

But from what I can see a lot of people are advocating get a few wars going to improve technology. Bush already did that! Are all republicans thinking that way maybe?

Are all Manchester-ites raving Muslim Fundis maybe? Thought not.

[Talksteer]

NismoGT said:

caz_manc said:

there is nothing there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_3

Helium 3 can be used in a fusion reaction significantly more difficult than the one we can't do effectively today.

Helium 3 won't be propelling us to the stars for a long time.

[Countdown]

Jimbeaux said:

caz_manc said:

OK,

I think it looks like there has been some great inventions because of the need to improve technology created by the space race great.

But from what I can see a lot of people are advocating get a few wars going to improve technology. Bush already did that! Are all republicans thinking that way maybe?

Are all Manchester-ites raving Muslim Fundis maybe? Thought not.

Jimbeaux - why do you assume that anybody who thinks Republicans are "keen" on invading countries must be a "Muslim fundi" ?

If it helps I don't think Caroline is a muslim name (I'm not saying she isn't btw).

[superkartracer]

NismoGT said:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helium_3

No no don't be silly a man on PH said it's pointless as nothing there

[superkartracer]

Imagine the amount of money rich people would pay to visit that base, you are taking potential billions

[JuniorD]

Let China occupy themselves with going to the moon. It will keep them.busy for a couple of decades and when they make it they will have the same technology levels which we had in 1975. Meanwhile, back on earth, we will have developed the most hi-tech foil hats to protect is from what ever evil plan they might be hatching.