FYI,

"NASA Says It will Set up Polar Moon Camp"
Associated Press
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061205/ap_on_sc/nasa_moon_4

: NASA may be going to the same old moon with a ship that looks a
: lot like a 1960s Apollo capsule, but the space agency said Monday
: that it's going to do something dramatically different this time:
: Stay there.

: Unveiling the agency's bold plan for a return to the moon, NASA
: said it will establish an international base camp on one of the
: moon's poles, permanently staffing it by 2024, four years after
: astronauts land there.

: It is a sweeping departure from the Apollo moon missions of the
: 1960s and represents a new phase of space exploration after space
: shuttles are retired in 2010.

: NASA chose a "lunar outpost" over the short expeditions of the
: '60s. Apollo flights were all around the middle area of the moon,
: but NASA decided to go to the moon's poles because they are best
: for longer-term settlements. And this time NASA is welcoming other
: nations on its journey.

: The more likely of the two lunar destinations is the moon's south
: pole because it's sunlit for three-quarters of the time. That
: offers a better locale for solar power, plus the site has possible
: resources to mine nearby, said associate deputy administrator Doug
: Cooke.

: To get to the moon, NASA will use two vehicles — the Orion
: exploration vehicle and an attached all-purpose lunar lander that
: could touch down anywhere and be the beginnings a base camp, said
: exploration chief Scott Horowitz.

: He likens the lander to a pickup truck.

: "You can put whatever you want in the back. You can take it to
: wherever you want. So you can deliver cargo, crew, do it
: robotically, do it with humans on board. These are the types of
: things we're looking for in this system," Horowitz said at a news
: conference in Houston.

: The estimated time frame for NASA's lunar plans are:

: 2009 — a first test of one of the lunar spaceships.

: 2014 — the first manned test flight of the Orion crew exploration
: vehicle, but no moon landing.

: 2020 — the first flight of the four-astronaut crew to the moon.

: For four years, the lunar base won't be built up enough for long
: visits, so astronauts will only spend a week at a time. But after
: that, NASA envisions people living on the moon for six-month
: stints.

: NASA also hopes that hydrogen, oxygen and other moon resources can
: be used as supplies for the lunar outpost. Eventually, getting
: oxygen there may be simple enough that it could be turned over to
: a commercial supplier, Horowitz said.

: NASA's vision for the moon is more than just American astronauts
: — it includes space travelers from other countries and even
: commercial interests, if possible.

: The key decision for NASA in its planning was whether to have a
: permanent settlement, and that drove other decisions, Dale said.
: Going with a permanent base was an outcome of NASA asking itself
: and more than 1,000 experts from 14 nations the questions: "Why
: are we returning to the moon and what we plan to do when we get
: there?"

: Two key themes, according to NASA, were to prepare for future
: exploration, with Mars the next stop, and expansion of human
: civilization. Both NASA's science and engineering communities
: agreed on a permanent outpost, an agreement rare for two
: conflicting sides of the agency, Horowitz said.

: The lunar plan calls for a commitment of money over the next three
: presidential terms, raising questions about future funding.

: His concern is based on cost and technology, McCurdy said. NASA
: doesn't plan to get additional money for its lunar program and
: will simply use money that had gone to the space shuttle program;
: much of the technology is based on expensive Apollo hardware, he
: said. So NASA has vowed to be creative with spending and
: technology, he said.

: "The tooth fairy is not going to drop $500 to $800 billion on
: NASA," McCurdy said. "Being creative on the moon can sometimes get
: you confined to the moon."

Mark Reiff