/sci/ - Science & Math

Nothing has topped it after 20 years

>>15120141
Why were the dinky ascent stages so small compared to the lander? It's a minimally-sized tin can with some balls vs a FUCKHUEG 10 metre wide unit.

The cancellation of the Constellation program and its consequences have been a disaster for the human race

http://spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=53608
>This week I am excited to provide an update on the agency’s Artemis program, including announcing the companies selected to develop a human landing system. This Thursday, April 30, at 1 p.m. EDT, NASA Television will air a message from senior leadership and myself on how human exploration of the Moon will prepare the agency for missions to Mars.

The cancelled box

>>8701943
Here's what we'd need before going back to the moon:
>Complete the SLS
>Finalize Orion

In addition, to land on the moon, we would need this:
>Design a lunar lander
>New spacesuits (presumably)
>Design long-term habitats and stuff so it isn't a boring Apollo v2

I guess we could do a worthless one-time flyby by the end of the decade, but it would take several years and a fuckton of money to plan a robust lunar exploration program. Manned lunar exploration would be a huge waste of money unless lunar resources would justify the cost. It would still be more worthwhile than the ISS though.