Astronauts to Occupy the Moon by 2020

[D-Bone]

NASA has announced plans to establish a permanently-occupied lunar base with manned missions starting in 2020, a key step in further human exploration of the solar system.

The project, which would send humans back to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, is a long-term joint effort of 14 of the world's space agencies, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said Monday.

According to the current plan, which NASA described as a "blueprint for a return to the moon," robots would travel to the lunar surface ahead of manned missions to study the best landing sites and determine what natural resources would be available.

Read More: http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2006/12/05/moonbase_spa.html?category=space&guid=20061205084500&dcitc=w19-502-ak-0000

[spawnman]

The project, which would send humans back to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972

Or did we???:scratch:

[Jafo]

yea, "or did we?" is absolutely right. I think there is alot more going on out there than is generally known.

[Malice]

yea, "or did we?" is absolutely right. I think there is alot more going on out there than is generally known.

LOL! Silly rabbit, trix are for kids! :doh:

[D-Bone]

Rivals for lunar conquest four decades ago, Russia hopes to join the U.S. moon exploration program with technology and know-how, a Russian space agency spokesman said Thursday.

Russia was conducting talks with NASA and voiced hope that a deal could be reached within months, said the spokesman, Igor Panarin.

?We want the agreement to reflect Russia's status as a great space power,'' he told The Associated Press, adding that Russia plans to contribute technology rather than money to NASA's project.

NASA said Monday that it would send a four-astronaut crew to the moon in 2020 and set up an international base camp on one of the moon's poles that would be permanently staffed by 2024.

Panarin said the agreement with NASA could be modeled on Russia's deal with the European Space Agency, which envisages launches of commercial satellites by Russian Soyuz rockets from France's Kourou launch pad in French Guyana starting in 2008. Under that deal, Russia would provide booster rockets and the ESA would fund launch pad upgrades.

?We could use a similar approach in the moon project,'' Panarin said.

Read More: http://www.space.com/news/061207_ap_moon_russia.html

[Dante]

WOOT! A moon base! About time NASA caught up to me. I've had my moon base built ages ago on Alpha Centauri (http://www.firaxis.com/smac/game.cfm).