Re: top ten reasons there'll be faster progress

On 1 Jul 2006 11:12:27 -0700, "Jordan" <JSBassior2001@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:


Rand Simberg wrote:
On 30 Jun 2006 22:45:18 -0700, in a place far, far away, "Jordan"
<JSBassior2001@xxxxxxxxx> made the phosphor on my monitor glow in such
a way as to indicate that:


Derek Lyons wrote:
"Jordan" <JSBassior2001@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Derek Lyons wrote:

It's not the notion of a moonrace that bothers him - it's the
existence of lunatics who believe one is in the offing or in progress.

All right, fine. No Moonrace. Just five Great Powers (America, China,
Europe, Japan, and Russia) actively engaging in orbital flight and/or
formally committed to making manned moon landings.

ROTFLMAO. It must be an interesting planet you live - because it sure
as hell isn't Earth.

Ok, Derek. Tell me .. which one of the five Great Powers I named
_isn't_ either actively engaging in orbital flight and/or formally
committed to making manned moon landings?

When you weasel it with and/or it makes it both true and meaningless.
Europe isn't in a moon race. Japan isn't in a moon race. China isn't
in a moon race. Russia isn't in a moon race. The only country that
has a formal commitment to going to the moon, the US, isn't racing.

That's not "weaselling" it. China has repeatedly stated a goal of
making manned landings on the Moon, including (most recently) setting a
goal date (2024, IIRC). I'm not sure how this differs from a "formal
committment."

It differs because, "China has repeatedly stated [X]" is literal
nonsense for any value of X. "China", is a billion-plus people who
have never lined up and said any one thing in unison. A "formal
statement", at least reflects the end result of a process that has
sought or imposed some sort of consensus among all those people.

What you mean to say, however, is "Some Chinese Guy has repeatedly
stated [X]". Even if that guy is the the Chinese head of state and/or
government, that means about as much as it did when Bill Clinton
repeatedly stated a goal of complying with the Kyoto accord.

And it isn't the Chinese head of state and/or government who is
saying that China is going to land men on the Moon, ever. It is
mostly mid-level scientists in positions with zero budgetary or
policy-making authority who say this. Big whoop.

Meanwhile, higher-ranking officials in statements of some formality
have indicated that China plans to eventually send some unmanned
probes to the Moon.

And idiot American journalists, of the sort I know you would never
believe for one second if they were saying something you *didn't*
want to hear, combine the nobody scientist saying "China's going
to colonize the Moon, Real Soon", with the semi-formal official
policy of "China is going to send a mission to the moon", and come
up with "China has made a formal official committment to colonize
the Moon, Real Soon".

And you believe them.


On top of which, with absolutely zero evidence whatsoever, you
believe that since the Chinese are going to do it, the Japanese
and Europeans and Russians are going to do it as well.

What the Chinese and Japanese and Russians and Europeans are
going to do, is land a few unmanned Surveyoroids on the Moon.
Maybe some minirovers. And then go home and do something
completely different. The end.

We, can colonize the Moon if we want. Or not. We aren't
racing the Chinese or anyone else, because they aren't going.


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