Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moon

Re: Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moo

chuck731 said:

There is no point to any permanent manned lunar outpost at current. The subjectivism displayed by some people in thrashing about to seek redress for past inadequacies is unfortunate. One should be more empirical in judging one's own actions. There is no first mover advantage in committing blunders.

Click to expand...

What drives exploration/risk taking (both on earth, historically) is egoism, greed, and rivalry.

China has egoism (restoration of Superpower glory, respect from others), and rivalry (competition against other Great powers), but greed does not exist (economic incentives for moon base is hard to justify with current technologies).

Just as New World was colonized over centuries and was initially an resources draining endeavor with many failures, the colonization of moon and space will be a long term process, with many blunders, risks, losses, etc...

As technology gets better, the economic incentive will rise to commensurate with the moon's vast potential, and there in lies the first mover advantage (see 950 million descendants of European settlers/risk takers in New World over four-five centuries and lots of failures)

Re: Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moo

chuck731 said:

If you mean revitalize the original space shuttle concept, then no, there is no reason to. The original shuttle concept as practiced by nasa during the last 33 years was a blunder, and in many ways a boondoggle. It does not warrant repeating by the Chinese or revitalizing by the US.

Click to expand...

These word is not warranted for your overall analysis. It surpasses all of its intended milestones where no space delivery system has done yet. Aside from prohibitive cost, it was a definitive choice to deliver a specific and unintended payloads which was suppose to be an quasi-military space system. As you can see the Soviet was trying to built a similar shuttle system to which was the Buran, sadly due to its dissolution. Buran could be the premier delivery for its successor country -- Russia.

All well known sources proved the US shuttle system was a cutting edge method and pushed the envelop technology out of the common method of expendable rocket system.

Re: Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moo

Pigsy said:

I be thinking that the Moon is way too hostile for a permanent human colony. It is the ideal environment for a robotic colony though. Mars is better suited for human colonisation.

Click to expand...

there are no such thing as impossible, only inhibited rationality and idealism whats holds us.

I believe the Moon is the key to all places, its the closes thing to be examine and to be inhabited by.
A subterranean type colony can be constructed easily and protected from comic rays. however, the continues bombardment of meteor can be prevent from defensive systems developed here from Earth. Example, CIWS are use against projectiles and the materials in the Moon like ashes can be molded to a shape projectiles injected with resin which can be launch on rail or mass drivers.

Re: Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moo

Jeff Head said:

We have their journals and have read their words about their life and that of their children and grandchildren.

Click to expand...

Jeff, you have the journals of your ancestors who were first pioneers? That's an amazing treasure!

Re: Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moo

Equation said:

What about a lunar shuttle carrier concept? Where the returning lunar vehicle can rendezvous with the shuttle and safely returning to Earth. Here are various examples been proposed before by NASA and others.

Click to expand...

First you would need a Shuttle.
The American Orbiter is Retired, VentureStar was killed by the Clinton Administration,
The Buran spacecraft is Destroyed
Both DreamChaser and X37B are too Small,
Kliper was both to small and Canceled.
The Chinese Project 921-3 variants thus far are all conjectural and likely canceled.

Re: Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moo

The first Astronauts that went to the moon were those from the US. Apart from feeling very good and admired by all countries, there is really nothing of value America obtained from the moon except moon rocks. China will find that it is very much cheaper to get all the raw materials etc. on earth than spending so much money on the moon project just for prestige purposes. If further exploration of space is the objective, it should focus on the improvements of communication systems on earth, use of weaponry, space warships (perhaps in the future) etc. In the final analysis a country must watch its priorities taking into consideration its financial strength, capabilities and its "ROI" (Return of Investments) for such projects in the universe. Yes, we all know scientists are all for explorations and to "dream dreams" - good if they are affordable & there are chances of turning them to realities. Pragmatism is important. Creative thinking/scientific experimentations should be encouraged, but within constraints of the national (financial) budget.

Phead128 said:

China missed out on first-mover advantage in exploring (and colonizing) the New World.

China should not miss this opportunity to seize the world's first colonial outpost in Outer Space.

There is no point to land Chinese Taikonauts on the lunar surface without a permanent lunar base to back it up. Otherwise, China would be merely imitating what U.S. did in the 1960's and 70's. China should also be the first to militarize space, and put U.S. further into debt if she wants to compete against China into space.

Click to expand...

Re: Should China develope Space Shuttle to transport minerals and resources from Moo

solarz said:

Jeff, you have the journals of your ancestors who were first pioneers? That's an amazing treasure!

Click to expand...

Thank you...yes it most certainly is. Just of a few actual journals. But we have done extensive genealogical work and found them either through relatives, or had them handed down in direct line. There is also still significant information available in the public record when it comes to positions they held, ranks they achieved, enlistments, births, deaths, etc.

We have determined that I had three 5th great grandfathers who fought in the Revolutionary War, which makes me a Son of the American Revolution. This is a society I proudly belong to.