moon base

So, we're going to build a base on the moon. Awesome. Now, I'm about as stoked on science and understanding the universe as they come. And I have to admit that it just sounds really fucking cool to say "Yeah, we've got a base on the moon." And of course, the moon is the best place to try out our hand at space colonization. So yeah, there's a part of me that says "Go moon base!"

However, if I think about the moon base for more than 87 seconds, the glitter and coolness starts to wear off, and reality starts to sink in. The moon? I'm pretty sure there's not much going on there. At least not much that humans need to be around for. Like I said, I'm all about research, but I think robots can tell us most of what we need to know about the moon, or Mars for that matter, for about half the cost. But I don't think this action is about research. I think some people think that we can/should set up viable colonies on the moon, and then Mars. Again, of course this appeals to the 8-year-old boy in all us, who would love to run around in moon boots and chase Martians. But well, we're not 8 anymore, and despite how cool it sounds, there is absolutely no reason for people to live on the moon. There isn't even an atmosphere on the moon, much less water*, plants, ecosystems, etc., all of which we need to survive. Also, I don't understand what people think the moon has that we want. Not only is the moon useless to use as real estate, it's a real hassle to live there. It's like Arizona without water, air, or regulated temperature. In other words, hell, but worse.

One argument I've heard for colonizing space is that we're going to have to, because we are destroying our own planet so quickly. I agree that we are making Earth an uninhabitable place for humans, but I really don't think the moon and/or Mars is the answer. As it stands, we will really have to do some serious damage in order to make Earth harder to live on than Mars. My opinion is, since it will cost astronomical amounts of money to move to space, can we instead just not ruin our planet? I really don't think it will be that hard. Certainly easier than building a new civilization on the red planet.

The biggest argument I have with myself on this issue is trying to imagine myself as a 15th century European flat-earther. Am I just lacking in imagination? Is space really a great place for us to live, I just can't seem to conceive of it properly? I've decided no, I am not being closed minded in my assessment of space colonization. In the time of European trans-Atlantic exploration, people didn't know exactly what they were going to find, but they were pretty sure it was something they would be interested in. They knew it would be be land with viable resources and food production potential, and/or convenient transportation passages. In contrast, we aren't sure what the moon has for us, but we know enough to know it's not really anything that we need. You can't grow anything there. Any resources that happen to be there would be way too expensive to ship home. And I'm pretty sure there aren't any moon people for us to enslave.

I think what this is really about is that pesky little inconvenience we know as the military-industrial complex. Lockheed-Martin is already scheduled to make a bundle of money building the new human cargo space-craft. You can bet they will also stand to run away with a sack of money on this whole moon base scheme. What the government thinks we really need, more than a base on the moon, is for their buddies in the defense industry to get big business in government contracts. This isn't about going to the moon, it's about somebody making huge profits building the equipment that will take us to the moon. I recently accidentally ran across this graph of NASA funding, which shows a very substantial jump in 2001. Does it just happen that space exploration is the one area of science Bush is not opposed to? No, NASA is inextricably linked to the military-industrial complex.

Finally, my major concern with the moon base is not that it is bad in and of itself. No, even if useless for colonization, a moon base would still be cool. My concern is the opportunity cost. There are LOTS of people in the United States who do not have health care. There are many people who are much worse off than this. Our social security system is about to crash. Our public schools are rapidly deteriorating due to piss-poor funding. And that's the reason we can't afford another couple hundred billion dollars on pet projects for the defense industry. A moon base would be cool, I guess, but universal health care, a functioning public school system, an end to homelessness, and I don't know, maybe legitimate combat of AIDS in Africa would be pretty cool too.

*Turns out, there might be water there, which we would use for oxygen (for breathing) and hydrogen (for fuel). The feasibility of this is questionable.