Matt Bors for January 30, 2012

If Newt got his got his moon base, how long until the moon becomes a penal colony?

It’s like watching a train wreck, with the intellectual HO scale going down to TT.

You can’t get a moon base while slashing tax revenue and drowning the economy in the bathtub, the way Newt wants to. For a moon base, we would need a solid and willing base of government funding to support it. It’s not going to generate any money. As Jon Stewart said, “He wants to make factories in space? Why not Michigan?”

Santorum have the good sense not to go along on this excursion?

I think that solar panels would be exposed for 13 1/2 days and in the dark for 13 1/2 days.Not to mention no air, no water, no food, and no protection from cosmic rays.

Ha ha ha! Damned funny

Grainbelt never passed basic science.

We have more computing power in a cell phone than existed in the WHOLE WORLD when they landed on the Moon – precisely because you Americans landed on the Moon! Do you really think we would have Internet if it wasn’t for the resources invested in aerospace technologies in the 1960s?What if we did it all over again!It was Humanity’s greatest achievement, about time we surpassed it – and fix a few minor details like climate change along the way.Anyway, if Americans lack the fortitude to do so, the Chinese and Indians will assume their role as World Leaders, so not all bad.

Frankly, I am astounded at the comments above (apart from obvious tongue-in-cheek). A very poor understanding of basic science and the benefits thereof.It is universally very clear that the USA’s former technical lead on the World has evaporated and fast dropping past its current status of #3, probably due to sub-standard information systems and education. It is becoming clear why the majority of Creationists and climate change sceptics live in the USA.

They didn’t laugh when JFK challenged us to reach for the stars. What’s so funny about it now? We’ve got to leave the nest one day, especially when you never know when a killer asteroid might zoom in. If we wait until all poverty on earth is eliminated then we’ll simply never go. Dare to dare!

I’m interested to see if the space elevator made of carbon nanotubes will work. If it does work that would make carrying materials and supplies into space easier and cheaper.And we could build an interstellar spaceship in orbit, rather than on the moon. Technology needs to advaance just a little farther before we attempt much other than asteroid steering.

The “space race” resulted in huge improvements in technology, are in excess of what “MAD” produce, just more wars, and spending on things that do NOT work. The science of the effort is still challenged by many “creationists” and other non, or anti-science folks, like weather satellite information, and a great deal of data on THIS planet, we’re learning from others.

But, back to Newt, he doesn’t see a problem with feeding the colony, as they’ll just eat all that green cheese.