who will set up the first colony on the moon?

No one will colonize the moon unles soem resource is discovered, fiscal incentives are the only reason for colonization.  But if by some chance someone sets up a colony Im betting the Japanese, because their stuff doesnt break as much as the Europeans, and they have alot more to spend then the Americans for example the US up until recently pretty much paid the Japanese defense budget.

Originally posted by Cywr The moon has lots of He3

and i've heard that it is a very good power source and can also be used on long space missions


Edited by Anujkhamar

Forget Government-funded programs.

private enterprises will be the first to establish settlement in the Moon.

case in point, Space Galantica, a space travel company created by billionaire Richard Branson, successfully launched manned space flights to space, 2 flights in 5 days.  http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/Commercial+space+travel+to+tak e+flight/2100-1026_3-5384350.html

• currently, no Government can do that.

Edited by imok

Latest Delta/Atlas rocket systems will cover US's orbital transfer problem, cheaper than the shuttle too, ironicly.

I think the first sellenites will be US Americans...

Edited by Infidel

BTW, they already discovered hundreds of new solar systems in other parts of the galaxy, some of them orbit their sun/s in strange way, stranger than ours. But most of them are Jupiter size planets. It�s too hard for us yet to find small earth like blue planets. Check this website out for new solar systems listings.

http://www.obspm.fr/encycl/catalog.html

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/solarsys/forming.htm l

http://outreach.jach.hawaii.edu/pressroom/1998_vega/

i voted for usa

Originally posted by Tobodai But if by some chance someone sets up a colony Im betting the Japanese, because their stuff doesnt break as much as the Europeans,

 

Are you sure? did yoi foget the HIIA fiasco, or the mars probe that got lost in outer space?

I would not certainly understimate Jaxa, Hayabuse is a splendid concept, but I'd say that if a first world space agency recently had big problems with defective equipment, that is the Japanese one.

As to the topic question, I too would say it will probably be a multinational effort, with NASA and ESA as main players, but a lot of space for other agencies (Japanese, Rusian, Chinese and even others, like the Indians, for instance, or even the Ukrainians)

Oh, the horrible spell of my previous post!

How can one run the spell checker here? I have been able no more after the forum change because of the pro-boards affair.

What for?Our survival on Earth is mystery,our survival on Moon&Mars is impossible...Radiation will kill us all
.We have to learn how to create artificial Life Boats in space.Landing&Launching ships are waste of time and
energy!First steps of baby:Artificial gravity and magnetic field!Industrial zone for future space missions we can create in Low Earth Orbit also...Do not waste time for new hot water inventions!Invent space power
plant that can gives us energy far away from Stars.