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[RedKing]

In the end, you need an organization with deep pockets and the willpower to move decisively. Which means space will probably be fought over between the autocratic regimes and the corporations.

So, the first Orbital War is more liable to be between China and Space-X, while the US and Europe are too busy speechifying and checking the polls to actually do anything.

We can always start up the rumor that it's made of cheese, again. It'd get me to want to go there.

GODDAMN CHEESE REALLY IS EVERYWHERE D: 

[Darvi]

Breaking news: The moon landing was faked, and spectrometic analysis has revealed that our natural satellite is made of fermented milk, mostly gouda and some veins of cheddar. Congress is currently debating on how much the NASA funds should get raised so they can find out whether there's brie before the Chinese can get there first and mine it all and ruin the Earth's cheese-economy.

GODDAMN CHEESE REALLY IS EVERYWHERE D: 

Join the club.

[MonkeyHead]

[Guardian G.I.]

So, the first Orbital War is more liable to be between China and Space-X, while the US and Europe are too busy speechifying and checking the polls to actually do anything.

Space-X?  In order to be able to afford such a massive enterprise, they need to build an army, overthrow the US government, establish a dictatorship, seize control over all American industrial power (the left-overs which weren't moved to China) and natural resources and use them to build a fleet of space ships. Unless the overall state of affairs in America becomes ultrashitty, it's extremely unlikely.

Otherwise, no.

[Starver]

Breaking news: The moon landing was faked, and spectrometic analysis has revealed that our natural satellite is made of fermented milk, mostly gouda and some veins of cheddar.

Not, it wasn't faked!  It just happens to be a huge piece of cheese that had fallen behind an even huger refrigerator, recently, and got a layer of all kinds of dust and stuff on it.  HTH, HAND, and can I have another slice or two of moon, please Grommit?

[Guardian G.I.]

Breaking news: The moon landing was faked, and spectrometic analysis has revealed that our natural satellite is made of fermented milk, mostly gouda and some veins of cheddar.

The true reason for the cancellation of the Apollo programme — astronauts accidentally found an alien cheese mining operation.

[mainiac]

seize control over all American industrial power (the left-overs which weren't moved to China)

Y'know America might have hemoraged low efficiency manufacturing types like textiles but our overall value of manufactured goods has continued to steadily rise through decades of deindustrialization.  This is because even as the manpower intensive industries disappeared, very high value manufacturing like computers, electronics and telecommunications equipment continued to grow.  So rather then having stripped away our ability to make a fleet of primitive space warships we've pretty much doubled down on the relevant industry.  It's pretty much all we still know how to build at this point.  Make of that what you will.

[10ebbor10]

You don't know for sure that there aren't any resources on the moon worth taking. It isn't exactly like we can search it as easily as we can Earth.

We're pretty sure, because even if there are unknown deposits, it wouldn't be worth it to bring them to Earth. Launch costs are quite large, so ining most materials wouldn't be profitable. It'd have to be something rxtremely light, not found on Earth and pretty valuable.

[Valid_Dark]

Mining materials from the moon or asteroids would only be worth it if they were to be used in space, because it cost too much to launch raw materials into space for space construction.

[10ebbor10]

Mining materials from the moon or asteroids would only be worth it if they were to be used in space, because it cost too much to launch raw materials into space for space construction.

In that case, Yes. But since most space construction projects tend to be multinational, so will the moonbase be.

[MrWiggles]

There a lot of rare earth metals, and radioactive whose demands are increasing and the supplies are shrinking on earth. There lots of reason to go space mining, on the moon or on near earth astroids. And the Moon has an abidance of an element that is very useful, but is nearly none existent on earth, H3.

[10ebbor10]

There a lot of rare earth metals, and radioactive whose demands are increasing and the supplies are shrinking on earth. There lots of reason to go space mining, on the moon or on near earth astroids. And the Moon has an abidance of an element that is very useful, but is nearly none existent on earth, H3.

Rare Earth metals are found in abudant supplies on Earth(You find them everywhere). There just ain't much decent profitable deposits. The recent shortage is only caused by a spiking demand and an inconsitent supply(ak, 80% of the supply is delivered from a single mine in China). Once the new mines in the USA and Australia open, prices will stabilize back to their normal levels(Which are less than one tenth of the current levels). Besides, even if there were solid deposits of Rare Earth's on the moon(as in 100% pure), the prices still need to double to cover for the launch costs alone.

Asteroids are more logical than the moon, because of the smaller launch costs, and the much higher concentration and accesibility of resources. An asteroid mine is temporary however. So a single mine wouldn't be multinational, but the whole project would be. However, in order to cut on launch costs, these mines will all be very long term projects(Ie, long preparation, short operation of the mine), and might be better attempted in a group.

Actually, it's called He3. Which is a difference, since H3 would be an isotope of hydrogen(I believe tritium, which is not found on the moon, but can be found and produced on Earth. And is used for first gen fusion), while He3 is an isotope of helium (Which is found on the moon). However, I need to add that He-3 is completely useless without second generation fusion, and can be found in such amounts on the moon that there's no reason to go for a riskier single nation moonbase rather than a combined project.

Also, there's quite a lot of cooperation between space organisations already. The ESA uses Russian rockets for Medium-small loads, and in exchange the Russians get to use some of out launch sites. There are also contacts with China, and with NASA.

[Scoops Novel]

Can someone remind me of when were sending an robot to Europa, or rather when it will arrive (if we have sent it)? If we find the traces of life on mars, how do you think that will affect NASA's budget? And could we clone it? .

[Valid_Dark]

I don't think we would be able to clone any life we find on mars, because we don't know how their dna/reproduction works, and even if we did, we wouldn't know what nutrients the embryo would need, and in what amounts.

[10ebbor10]

Can someone remind me of when were sending an robot to Europa, or rather when it will arrive (if we have sent it)? If we find the traces of life on mars, how do you think that will affect NASA's budget? And could we clone it? .

It was slated to launch in 2020. But I'm pretty sure it was cut due to budget issues. Nothing final though.

The ESA however has picked up the ball and plans to launch their own probe and possibly make a replacement for the American one (The original mission was a joined ESA, NASA project (with possible support from Japan and/or Russia)).

Here's the link

I don't think we would be able to clone any life we find on mars, because we don't know how their dna/reproduction works, and even if we did, we wouldn't know what nutrients the embryo would need, and in what amounts.

If we find life, it'll probably be bacteria. Cloning them isn't that hard, as long as we can keep them alive. If they are dead, no hope for cloning, as the radiation will have mangled whatever was used as Dna to pieces. More advanced traces ain't gonna be found.

As for a budget impact:
A: Good job, have some money to continue your mission
or
B: What, more money. Why would you need that. You've found what you needed to prove. I can't see why another mission is nessecary.

yes, you find rare earth metals on earth, yes, they're everywhere, however, in most places it's not economical to extract them because there's too little of them. it's much like things like gold. it's everywhere, just in minute quantities.

Exactly. However, hoping to extract them from the moon and doing that cheaper than on Earth is just silly. (Especially as I have found no records of any rare Earth deposits on the Moon).

Also, rare Earth extraction almost always not financially viable, and is only done in conjonction with other minerals. (Like Thorium for the Australian site)