100
opinion
2 votes
Sep 29, 2015

I hope that when/if we colonize the Moon that it can be an international effort. It would be easier to meet the costs of such a venture if many countries paid for it and not just one. Also, the value of the moon at this time is purely scientific. Building an observatory on the dark side of the moon will give us a better view of the stars than any Earth-based observatory because of the absence of light pollution. And developing the skills to colonize the Moon will aid in the endeavor of eventually colonizing Mars. I think such scientific and engineering gains should be shared by all nations.

Reply to this opinion
subscribe
share/challenge
flag
Discussion (4)
::unhide-discussion::
100
User voted No.
main reply
1 vote,
Nov 9, 2015

I agree, but I must pose the question. If colonizing the moon would be for purely scientific purposes, why colonize at all? By the time we have the technology to realistically found a moon colony, we will also have far superior technology allowing us to establish unmanned research tools on the moon. So why do we need live people up there?

reply
subscribe
share/challenge
flag
::unhide-discussion::
100
1 vote,
Nov 9, 2015

As I said, the value of the moon at this time is purely scientific. If we find a more economical way to get there and back, there might or might not be some value of having mining operations there. But if we are going to colonize Mars one day, the Moon would be a decent place to test the habitat modules we would use on Mars, and to test the people who might one day go there. The Moon and Mars both have low gravity and both lack a magnetic field to protect them from radiation, so the similarities between the two would make the Moon a proving ground for the technology that would be needed to make a safe habitat for people on Mars.

reply
subscribe
share/challenge
flag
::unhide-discussion::
0
User voted No.
0 votes,
Nov 9, 2015

Excellent point. Thank you!

reply
subscribe
share/challenge
flag
::unhide-discussion::
0
main reply
0 votes,
Nov 3, 2015

Great opinion, I absolutely agree! But what will we do if only America will have the technology to colonize Mars? I also hope humans will be mature enough to not start some new wars while they're there, but if the colonization happens in this century, I'm afraid.

reply
subscribe
share/challenge
flag
Challenge someone to answer this opinion:
Invite an OpiWiki user:
OR
Invite your friend via email:
OR
Share it: