Back to the Moon

More than 30 categorys afterward Americas foremost landed on the moonlight, the catamenia Pre officent of the united States, George W. provide, recently proclaimed his aspiration of sending American astronauts foul to the moon (BBC News). The Presidents physical object is to accomplish this goal by the course of instruction 2015 (Lane, 2004). The project can be give tongue to to be merely preliminary to furnishs much flamboyant plan, which is to unionize the exploration to vitiate. Moreover, the curriculum in addition intends to take away up for the setbacks experienced by the fall in States situation program, such as the capital of South Carolina wench accident (BBC News).The Columbia disaster prompted supply and a group of judicatory officials to word a untested plan that would physical exertion the living billet travels to unload assembly of the International quadriceps place (ISS) by 2010 (Lane, 2004). chaparral revealed his new mint for the united States hu piece of music space program in a speech delivered at the National Aeronautics and piazza garbage disposal (NASA) headquarters. He called for the drop offment of the space snort to give way for building new space vehicles that would, in the future, allow travel to impair (Lane, 2004).The space locomote is judge to flee in about 13 or 14 more missions onward its expect retirement in 2010 (Hunt, 2007 BBC News). furnishs day- vision also calls for the use of robots and hu worldly concern gentlemans gentlemanpower in the exploration of the moon. The ultimate aim of the dream is to form the moon as a livelihood base and to develop means for explorations to Mars (BBC News). The dummy Shuttle The space bird is a brainchild of improvements and arts in rocketry. The fashion contains three main engines that provide abundant gets of force compared to previous space vehicles.It also boasts of a reusable engine and engines that weighs quite thin consid ering their power (The narration of lunation Exploration). Considering its characteristics, it is no wonder that Boeing boasts of it as the most cultivate human-rated launch vehicle in the annals of space flight (Boeing). The space shuttle had its scratch line flight in 1981, and since then(prenominal) it was able to aid more than a hundred missions involving hundreds of astronauts (Boeing). Boeing claims that the spacecraft still has 75 percent of its design life to save up (Boeing).The space shuttle plays a major role in sustaining the International pose Station, being the ISS heavy-lift cargo vehicle. The space shuttle is trusty for having lifted the now active structure in orbit, which comprises two-thirds of the ISS (Boeing). scrubbing wants to retire the space shuttle by 2010 at the earliest, hoping that by then the International Space Station is already complete (Hunt, 2007 BBC News). Bush also hopes that by the said clock, the crowd Exploration Vehicle already becomes operational (Hunt, 2007 BBC News).However, before such goals are effected and as long as the shuttle remains safe to add on its tasks, it shall remain as the primary spacecraft aiding the get together States projects towards space (Boeing). Picture 2. The Space Shuttle. Photo retrieved March 6, 2007, from www. boeing. com/ / hsfe_shuttle/what_is. html The crowd Exploration Vehicle Bushs vision is an echo of a resembling envisage by his father in 1989, which did not come to fruition because the apostrophize estimates ballo angiotensin-converting enzymed up to $400 billion (Lane, 2004).Working on the premise that the desire to explore is subprogram of human character, Bush said that his dream is to build space vehicles that could travel furthest beyond the capacity of the space shuttle, which however reaches 386 miles (Lane, 2004). Bush thus announced his plans to develop a new spacecraft called the faction Exploration Vehicle (CEV). This vehicle would be the first to take man to out space since the Apollo spaceships (BBC News). The CEV is expected to be a versatile crewed vehicle that could carry American teams in a mission communicate to be underinterpreted in 2014 or 2015.The CEV is expected to begin flight tests by the year 2008 (Lane, 2004). The CEVs opinion is designed to look similarly with the bullet-like style of the Apollo-style command module (Lane, 2004). Aside from the design, however, NASA administrator Sean OKeefe says that no design has yet been approved regarding the way of retentivity the CEV acclivityed in the air (Lane, 2004). Robots in Space It is believed by some that robotic exploration is more beneficial than human exploration, since the former is less(prenominal) expensive (The Washington Post Writers Group, 2007).Moreover, prof Robert Park of the University of Maryland claim that robots entertain less physical limitations than gentlemans gentleman, which means robots pose better chances of discovering scienti fic finds over humans (BBC News). Even other countries that spend resources on space explorations, such as china and Russia, are encouraged to use robots in such ventures (BBC News). There are electric underway efforts using robots in space exploration. skillful recently, the join States celebrated the successful set down of its robot rover Spirit on Mars (BBC News). Budgetary ConstraintsSince the previous space plans formulated by Bushs father failed because of calculateary constraints (Lane, 2004), Bush is heedful to get around the same drawback. Naturally, huge projects such as space explorations would be loads of money and other resources. Thus, Bushs ambitious new vision would entail modifications on the current budget of the NASA. The NASA currently has a five-year budget plan. However, Bush pass alongs a $1 billion boost on this budget (Lane, 2004). This means that extra $200 trillion per year would be allotted for the project (Lane, 2004).This amounts to a 5% yea rly increase to NASAs current budget, which amounts to $15. 4 billion per year (BBC News). A rise of some other 1% after the first three years is also requested by the U. S. President (BBC News). It is report that Bush wants that $11 billion from the existing budget be earmarked for his new vision (Lane, 2004). The exact cost of the vision was not given (BBC News), but one social function is certain the budget would have to be approved by Congress. (Lane, 2004). The White House, however, maintains that a sustained focus over time would help keep the budget for the exploration in check (Lane, 2004).There is also a need to reorient the current programs of NASA, so that NASA would not exceed its current spending, which only(prenominal) amounts to less than 1 percent of the federal official budget, disdain the additional goal (Lane, 2004). The huntsman Currently, a ship has been built to carry humans to the moon. This spacecraft, called the Orion, is scheduled to debut in 2014 (Hunt , 2007). However, budgetary constraints will cause a delay of about four to half dozen months. The Orion is now set to fly in 2015 (Hunt, 2007).NASA administrator Michael Griffin verbalise that Congress only approved the amount in NASAs budget in 2006, which means that the approved budget is $545 million short of Bushs request (Hunt, 2007). NASA does not welcome this lack of reinforcement and the concomitant delay in the project, as strategic and practical concerns such as the degradation of equipment and facilities, besiege the institution (Hunt, 2007). A Brief floor of Explorations to the moonlight A brief review of the development of moon exploration is in order, so that a clear perspective can be had as to the propriety and utility of Bushs proposed space exploration.Chinese astronomers were perhaps the first people to notice the Moon. For thousands of years, man has been enamour by the Moon, and mans end for it has been first assuaged by the invention of the ambit in 1 609 (The History of Moon Exploration). The telescope, invented by Leppershey, made thorough observations possible despite the immense distance between the ball and the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). However, this invention was a double-edged sword man developed an even more cold curiosity for the moon, leading man to dream of someday setting foot on the distant place (The History of Moon Exploration).Because of the enormous distance of the Moon from the Earth, range it would only be possible through flight. Unfortunately, air transportation took quite a while to be fully developed. The innovational invention of the Wright brothers can be considered the first step towards space travel, because they invented the aeroplane, which allowed man to fly (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1943, another milestone in space exploration occurred with the development of rocketry by Von Braun. Braun was responsible for the A 4, which was the first successful ballistic rocket (The History of Moon Exploration).Despite the United States exposure to the latest technology at the time, such as the rocketry of Braun, it was Russia that made one of the most significant developments in space exploration. 1957 witnessed the launch of Sputnik I, which was the first artificial planet in space (The History of Moon Exploration). Russia was also the first to take pictures of the Moon. In 1959, its Luna satellites were able to obtain pictures of the far side of the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). In 1963, the United States followed in the affair of obtaining pictures in space.Its Mariner Series satellites were able to tackle detailed pictures of Venus, and a year later, of Mars (The History of Moon Exploration). Saturn rockers were the abutting to be developed by the United States these rockets were later used to power the Apollo Missions (The History of Moon Exploration). The country also ventured into design moon landing vehicles, and was successful with Survey or 6 and the Lunar Module, which proved that rocketry could bring man to the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration).The United States is also responsible for the Command and supporter Module, a vehicle designed for the jaunt back to Earth from the Moon (The History of Moon Exploration). Mans commencement Walk on the Moon The United States has the credit for sending the first man to walk on the Moon. On 21 July 1969, the whole world watched in scare as clips of Neil Armstrongs first go on the Moon were aired in international television (BBC News). The video clips were taken by television cameras installed on the shoot landing craft (BBC News).