Like going to he moon in the 60s (provided, of course, you think they actually went there).
It's like the science olympics crossed with geopolitical hunger games.
This time it's a bit like last time but with the US on one team and China/Russia working together on the other.
They want to install nuclear reactors on the surface of the moon 400km away.
The US wants it done by 2030. China and Russia are aiming for early 2030s.
The scientists are hoping everybody' ll come together and co-operate up there like we do with the ISS.
But, the politicians have other plans.
This is about nationalism, defence and territory.
Everyone wants to be the first because there are currently no laws or treaties for colonising the moon.
It's basically first come, first served.
And they reckon whoever builds the first reactor for electricity can basically bags an area, and build its base close by.
He who gets there first, wins. Basically.
The moon is quite important to earth, as you know. The seasons, our crops, our ocean, our entire lives a tied to that thing.
But if you look at it closely, it's already coved in giant craters. So big you can see them from earth.
So even if these guys do blow something up, one's one more crater?
I'm frothing to see this new age space race get underway.
The most interesting question is... what happens if it's not a country that gets their first, but one of those weirdo billionaires and their space toys.
Ryan Bridge is a New Zealand broadcaster who has worked on many current affairs television and radio shows. He currently hosts Newstalk ZB's Early Edition - where this article was sourced.
4 comments:
No more space nonsense. We’re tired of the waste.
First of all, the evidence is undeniable that "most" of the manned Apollo missions landed on the moon (11,12, 14, 15, 16 & 17)
And others did orbit (8, 10 and 13)
Secondly, The Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which most nations have signed, prohibits national appropriation of the moon or any celestial bodies. It states that outer space is the "province of all mankind" and that exploration should be for the benefit of all. While individuals or companies may claim ownership, these claims are not legally recognized.
There is another thing however that we seem to have forgotten about the moon.
Its Dead - astronauts themselves described it as the "dreariest, most desolate place I can think of" and a "magnificent desolation".
So, I think I'd prefer living on earth in the meantime.
What seems to be being overlooked here is that we are not going to 'colonise' the Moon in the sense of building cities there but to establish mining stations which will be mostly operated by robots. So-called strategic minerals that are in low supply and high demand on Earth can be mined on the Moon.
Last person who went to the Moon and established a base with lazer beams was Dr Evil
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