A short sighted Congress.

[MohRokTah]

Last edited Sat Sep 12, 2015, 07:01 PM - Edit history (1)

No, I'm not talking about the 114th Congress, though it is incredibly short sighted. That's a discussion for another thread.

I'm talking about the 92nd Congress, which cut short the Apollo program, scrubbing Apollo 18 and 19.

And we had JUST BEGUN doing actual science on the moon. There was and is so much more to learn, yet we haven't been back since Eugene Cernan and Jack Schmitt left the surface.

I will say something, their short sightedness regarding lunar geology will result in a new science in a few decades.

Lunar Archeology.

There are many artifacts left by man on the moon, and at least six sites have yet to be discovered.

[Shandris]

1. ...wait what?

I don't follow, especially at the end. Six sites left to be discovered by, from, or for...whom or what? I don't get that part...?


Help!

[MohRokTah]

2. The impact sites.

The entire LM of Snoopy for one.

The ascent stages of The Eagle, Intrepid, Antares, Falcon, Orion, and Challenger.

The Snoopy Lunar module was left in lunar orbit, including he descent stage. They crashed to the moon, as well as each ascent stage of each Lunar Module that landed on the moon

Okay, so seven sites. Eight sites if Snoopy's ascent and descent stages are in very disparate locations.

Then there are numerous vehicles that were never manned that have crashed on the moon.

[MicaelS]

3. I am assuming ...

MohRokTah is talking about the unmanned soft landing sites on the Moon, both US and Soviet.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing#Early_Soviet_unmanned_lunar_missions_.281958.E2.80.931965.29

[Shandris]

4. Ohhh, okay! I'm sorry, I couldn't grok what was going on but now...

...it makes perfect sense. Thanks to both you and MohRokTah, who I see also answered!

Now I need to go do some research, because I hadn't ever really considered these but it's an interesting topic.

[MohRokTah]

6. They have some good photographs of most o the landing sites from recent surveys, too.

Those will be huge lunar archeological sites in the future.

[MohRokTah]

5. I was talking more about the Lunar Module impact sites.

Each Lunar Module module that landed on the moon left the ascent stage in a decaying lunar orbit after transfer of the crew to the CM.

Nobody knows where these impact sites are.

In addition to that, the LM, Snoopy, from Apollo 10 left both its ascent and descent stages in a decaying orbit.

We know where most of the soft landing sites are, and have a pretty good idea of where some crash sites are, though some locations still remain a mystery.

I look forward to the future science of lunar archeology.

[Shandris]

7. A decaying orbit...so they could have gone to the 'other side' also, yes?

FASCINATING! I've been obsessed with the other side of the moon ever since I saw this crazy horror movie probably 20 years ago, and while I doubt 'Centrus B-40' aligns with the Bermuda Triangle like in the movie (*laugh*), I still want to know what's out there!

Edited for clarity: I used 'obsessed' in a bad way here; rather, it's the first thing about the topic (moon) that springs to mind, so when the moon is mentioned, I get excited over that possibility. It's not enough of an obsession that I've spent a large amount of time looking at it, though, so I didn't want to mislead.

[MohRokTah]

8. ABSOLUTELY!

Nobody has a clue where those ascent stages are. They could be anywhere at all on the rock.

[MicaelS]

9. Do you really think ...

There would be anything of substance left of an Ascent Stage impacting the moon?

[MohRokTah]

10. Definitely.

No atmosphere, so nothing to burn up. No wind so pieces won't blow away. A good portion of the inner cabin should be somewhat intact and could tell us a lot about their stay on the moon, especially given that not many of those who actually set foot on the moon are still with us.

[MohRokTah]

11. How many people reaize the last person to set foot on the moon was the only scientist ever to do so?

Harrison "Jack" Schmitt was the only scientist to walk on the moon.

He holds a PhD. in Geology.

He's currently 80 years old.

Only ONE scientist has ever set foot on the moon.

How fucking short sighted is that?

[former9thward]

12. Not short sighted at all.

The lunar astronauts were test pilots. Scientists are not test pilots. And vice versa.

[MohRokTah]

13. When Apollo 17 landed, we were just getting good at putting people on the moon.

Test pilots as a requirement was no longer necessary.

Short sighted. Definitely short sighted.

[former9thward]

14. Wow you have such expertise at this.

We should have had you running the Apollo program. Those people at NASA were such idiots that they did not know who to place in a capsule on top of a flaming rocket. Such a loss that you were not there!

[MohRokTah]

15. NASA knew precisely what they were doing.

It was Congress that was short sighted by cutting the funding.

[former9thward]

16. No, Congress did not decide who flew.

NASA did.

[MohRokTah]

17. Right.

Congress cut the funding which ended Apollo, thus no further scientists would ever go to the moon.

Schmitt was put on the crew of Apollo 17 precisely because he was a geologist.

He had been scheduled for Apollo 18.