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Apollo 17 was the eleventh and final mission of the United States' Apollo program, the sixth mission to land humans on the Moon. Launched at 12:33 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on December 7, 1972, with a three-member crew consisting of Commander Eugene Cernan, Command Module Pilot Ronald Evans, and Lunar Module Pilot Harrison Schmitt, Apollo 17 remains the most recent manned Moon landing and the most recent crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit.
It was glorious exploration and remains fascinating. Robotic exploration can achieve almost as much as human exploration for a fraction of the cost. And it can do much that human exploration simply cannot do.
Not that I don't find human space exploration fascinating. I do! I am 43 years old -- too young to remember Apollo -- and would love to live long enough to be able to follow the first human mission to Mars.
But the thrill that would provide is less relevant than the science, and since we can do so much more science on a $ by $ basis with robotics, I'm content with robotic fly-bys and landings.
It was a feel good moment for the US, it was always more about the Cold War than it was about any tangible value associated with being on the moon. JFK threw down the gauntlet and challenged the Soviets to a race, we won. The real prize was the winning, not the achievement.
On the positive side, even though targeting the moon was not an especially high payoff for science, science benefited massively by having to invent and develop all of the techniques and instruments involved in space docking, space walking, space rendezvous, space survival, all of which came in handy and could be applied to less flashy but more important space research. The computer industry certainly got an immense shot in the arm with the government funding the research and development.
Overall...it was a really cool stunt, so cool that it was probably worth it even if it was ultimately a stunt.
Yes, in some ways it is a bit sad, but it illustrates the large distance in technology between landing on the moon and any "next step" involving human travel.
I'm also 43 and I no longer have high hopes that I will see humans travel to Mars. Even if they did, Mars is no longer such a mysterious place since we have seen so many photos from the rovers. I would be much more intrigued if humans traveled to one of the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. While it may become common place in a century or two or ten, there is also no guarantee that it will ever happen.
Yes, in some ways it is a bit sad, but it illustrates the large distance in technology between landing on the moon and any "next step" involving human travel.
Agreed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Data1000
I'm also 43 and I no longer have high hopes that I will see humans travel to Mars. Even if they did, Mars is no longer such a mysterious place since we have seen so many photos from the rovers. I would be much more intrigued if humans traveled to one of the moons of Jupiter or Saturn. While it may become common place in a century or two or ten, there is also no guarantee that it will ever happen.
With advancements in information technology occurring as fast as it is the time frame should be a lot shorter then you realize. Just decades not centuries.
With advancements in information technology occurring as fast as it is the time frame should be a lot shorter then you realize. Just decades not centuries.
During the past few decades, the advance in information technology and the way we can communicate has been amazing, but advancements in transportation have not been anything spectacular. Since the 80s, I enjoy the advancements of front-wheel drive cars and fuel injection, but for long-distance travel, length of time and method remain the same.
Regarding human space travel to Mars or to a moon of Jupiter, it will require more than just know-how. It will require a huge investment of resources and a more suitable political and economic climate.
During the past few decades, the advance in information technology and the way we can communicate has been amazing, but advancements in transportation have not been anything spectacular. Since the 80s, I enjoy the advancements of front-wheel drive cars and fuel injection, but for long-distance travel, length of time and method remain the same.
Regarding human space travel to Mars or to a moon of Jupiter, it will require more than just know-how. It will require a huge investment of resources and a more suitable political and economic climate.
Going to Mars and Jupiter will take a lot of resources however once information technology get to the point we reach the singularity (sometime between 2030 and 2045) we will have enough technology and resources to get there shortly after.
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