Space habitats beyond LEO

Al Globus alglobus@... [spacesettlers] wrote:

> If you want to settle space, start close and start small.

Agreed on all points related to this. However...

> Obama deserves credit for
> the courage to kill a big, expensive program that had run off the rails
> and, incidentally, one that was going to suck up space resources with
> little gain for settlement.

Perhaps, but at the same time, he did have a very chilling effect on any
efforts to return to the Moon.

Whether de facto or de jure, we had a "moon taboo" that prevented almost
all lunar programs for decades after Apollo. Lifting that taboo was one
of the best things Bush did in his tenure, and I found it quite
regrettable that Obama's comments effectively put it back.

The current taboo isn't *quite* as firm as it used to be -- you're now
allowed to mention "Moon" as long as you hastily append "because this
will help us get to Mars!" -- but it's still not as sensible as it was
before.

Yes, the Mars advocates are largely to blame for this ridiculous state
of affairs, but Obama's "We've been there before" comment certainly
shares some of the blame.

Of course he also said at the same time: "Our goal is no longer just a
destination to reach... Our goal is the capacity for people to work and
learn and operate and live safely beyond the Earth for extended periods
of time, ultimately in ways that are more sustainable and even indefinite."

THAT is very sensible, but it pretty much contradicts the dismissal of
the Moon, since the only practical way to get sustainable indefinite
life beyond Earth is to develop the Moon. (And as it played out, this
latter comment was almost completely ignored by everyone anyway, while
the "been there" comment was widely and frequently repeated.)

So Obama gave us mixed messages, at best. And I don't hold out much
hope for the next President to clarify things much. It's just not a
national priority.

What I *do* hold out hope for is that Robert Bigelow will leverage the
new lower-cost launchers coming on line this year and next to start
developing the Moon, national priorities be damned. And as soon as
somebody starts doing it, I think the rest of the world will scramble to
catch up.

Best,
- Joe