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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sidran" data-source="post: 473157" data-attributes="member: 6160">Actually there is a ton of benefits (other than bragging rights) that would give us cause to go to the moon ( and stay there) As I stated earlier in the thread, the Moon means financial gains for all those Scientifically retarded Corporations who think with their pockets rather than their brain.  It was brought up that on the moon harsh temperatures would be a risk true but such is the case with the space stations, EVA's, and the orriginal Moon Missions.  We have ways to fix the problems caused by extreme heat/ and cold. Potential problems are solar storms with their high amount of radiation This two can be fixed by the same means that we fix the temperature troubles It requires a Hab set into the regolith of the moon then burried under the moons surface material.  High in Silica, and already heavily bombarded by the radiation that is harmful to human kind the surface material blocks out the radiation and helps to regulate the heat. Power could be a problem (though in the age of nuclear power I do not see why, well other than beurocracy getting in the way) There is a number of posibilities for power sources on the moon Solar Panels, Nuclear powerplants come to mind imidiately. As for the comments why the Moon? What is is useful for? Simple Space Factories, there are many things that are easier to be made in a vacuum than in an atmosphere.  Some one made a very unwise comment about the International Space Station being a really bad Idea, well the last time I checked it is the reason why we have most of the new medical breakthroughs because of the ISS we have gained a more advanced understanding of our own genetic code, and that of many of the other species on this earth ( thanks to DNA studies that took place there) The thing about it is the Temperature problem can be turned into a benefit of being on the moon, In one room a Scientist can be supercooling a room to test a bacteria, while in a room not ten feet away another scientist can be melting lead (or Iron) or what have you. ON TO MARSEnough for now about the Moon, and why I think it is useful (besides what I said earlier) Mars To Terraform or not to Terraform ...Personally  I am of the agreement with Ben Bova when he says that the Idea of terraforming is an idea of the past. For one, transforming a world into one where we can walk around in shirtsleaves will take hundreds if not thousands of years.  After all we are not God we can't do it in seven days. Second it could be changing an ecology that may or may not already be there.  Sure we have horribly ruined our own planet so lets rocket on over to the pretty red one and ruin it to, does not cut it with my way of thinking.  Personally I love Mars the way it is. For terraforming one might find more luck in the outer moons where for instance we have Saturns moon Titan which though it is smaller than earth has a substantial atmosphere (similar in make up to what the Scientist say the earth was like when its atmosphere was forming. Throwing bacteria in there to terraform that place would work ( If one wanted to destroy such a place) Its only prob. is its temp (at -300 degrees F) again the process would take more than any of our puny life times ( Quite possibly 120-145 yrs respectivily. Mars only true benefit is science, pure and simple it will be nothing more than our own Solar Antartic station a stopping point for vessels heading outwards towards the asteroid fields where the mining is going on.  Truth is the Red planet will prolly never be much more than that, Unless man learns to be god.Sid</blockquote>

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