Return to the Moon
Via Tobias Buckell, here's an interesting thought about our non-return to the Moon:
In 1956, a US Navy expedition led by Admiral George J. Dufek flew to and landed on the South Pole. They were the first group to stand on the Pole since Robert Falcon Scott's party in 1912. That's a gap of 44 years. (Admiral Dufek's group was also only the second to survive the trip, yet how many of you know who he is?)
We haven't returned to the Moon in 37 years and counting, and for similar reasons. Going to the Moon now is at least as hard as getting to the South Pole was then, and in both places there's no immediate reason to go back. Once the "proof of concept" that we could get there was done, further exploration awaits better technology.
In 1956, a US Navy expedition led by Admiral George J. Dufek flew to and landed on the South Pole. They were the first group to stand on the Pole since Robert Falcon Scott's party in 1912. That's a gap of 44 years. (Admiral Dufek's group was also only the second to survive the trip, yet how many of you know who he is?)
We haven't returned to the Moon in 37 years and counting, and for similar reasons. Going to the Moon now is at least as hard as getting to the South Pole was then, and in both places there's no immediate reason to go back. Once the "proof of concept" that we could get there was done, further exploration awaits better technology.