What is the one space mission you would love to see in your lifetime

[Urwumpe]

I SAY the best scenario ever and the greatest achievement humanity will do any time soon...
LUNAR WARFARE
I really want to see a war on the moon

If this means we have war exclusively on the moon (no longer on Earth) it is fine for me.

---------- Post added at 11:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:23 PM ----------

IN a philosophical perspective... Triumphs are made in the ways we fight, nourish and end war... Rocks then arrows then swords then guns.... Land,Sea,Air... and the last place is space... If humans develop the logistic support and the money to fight the war on the moon will be the next great step in human history

You must be feeling far away from war.

 

[fireballs619]

IN a philosophical perspective... Triumphs are made in the ways we fight, nourish and end war... Rocks then arrows then swords then guns.... Land,Sea,Air... and the last place is space... If humans develop the logistic support and the money to fight the war on the moon will be the next great step in human history

I disagree here, the next great step in human history will be breaking that chain. I think it would be viewed as a failure much later on if humans carry warfare to other celestial bodies. Sure, logistically it would be quite a feat, but for the overall progress of humans, it's not going to do much else. In any case, we are getting off topic here.

 

[T.Neo]

It's idealistically nice to suggest that people won't take conflict with them to elsewhere in space, but ultimately- and unfortunately- it is unrealistic. Likewise, it is idealistically evil to suggest that this is a good thing.

Yes, war can result in a gain. But not without an absolutely monumental cost. If it were not for WWII technological development would have panned out quite differently. But it is still a conflict in which tens of millions of people died, innumerable numbers more were subject to terrible suffering, and an economic, political and physical damage that was so severe as to distinctly seperate the 20th century into the "pre-war" and "post-war" years.

Urwumpe summed it up best:

You must be feeling far away from war.

If you think about war, you must think first about your country being invaded. Or bombed. Think, in detail, of what would happen if your area was hit by a nuclear weapon. It is, to understate an AU as a meter: "not nice".

If this means we have war exclusively on the moon (no longer on Earth) it is fine for me.

So the lives of soldiers fighting such a war on the Moon don't matter anymore? What about noncombatants or peaceful civillians? What about infrastructure on the Moon being damaged and/or destroyed, affecting life on Earth? Or even the sheer economic cost of the whole thing?

 

[Urwumpe]

What about noncombatants or peaceful civillians?

On the moon, you can prevent having civilians at all. Non-combatants are another topic. They can hope for getting spared, but are generally fair game as well, since attacking them can make a good army less capable to fight.

(Before you complain, that is standard US and for a shorter time NATO doctrine)

 

[T.Neo]

Yes, but why? If you have no civillians on the Moon, then clearly you're using it as a real wasteland... there's no reason to fight a war there, no point in the conquest of at least hundreds of square kilometers of sun-baked regolith.

One reason might be to defend some sort of rich natural resource that is not yet exploited (no civillian presence as of yet), but if you're willing to fight a war on the Moon like that, you already have pretty bad international relations... not to mention pretty bad economics.

 

[Urwumpe]

Yes, but why? If you have no civillians on the Moon, then clearly you're using it as a real wasteland... there's no reason to fight a war there, no point in the conquest of at least hundreds of square kilometers of sun-baked regolith.

One reason might be to defend some sort of rich natural resource that is not yet exploited (no civillian presence as of yet), but if you're willing to fight a war on the Moon like that, you already have pretty bad international relations... not to mention pretty bad economics.

Hey, are we still talking about advancing humanity? :lol: That is the point of fighting on the moon - fight out wars FAR away from civilization.

 

[Pipcard]

Of course, the manned mars mission.

 

[RisingFury]

1. BREAKAGE of the light-barrier

Oh, that's easy... all you need to do is bend over and fart hard enough.

 

[Ghostrider]

fight out wars FAR away from civilization.

Well, you could fight it in Gurtnellen then. As far away from civilization as humanly feasible, though it's a bit hard to make a manned landing there.

 

[SiberianTiger]

If that counts for a space mission, I'd love to see regular intercontinental traffic of passenger space planes with SSTO capability. Having that means that we can have all sorts of other interesting space missions with ease.

 

[Pinguinboy]

I'd really like to see a unmanned Europa mission, because of the possibility of life. Imagine what for species would live there! :hmm:

 

[Wishbone]

Staphylococcus bacteria from the probe?

 

[Rtyh-12]

If that counts for a space mission, I'd love to see regular intercontinental traffic of passenger space planes with SSTO capability. Having that means that we can have all sorts of other interesting space missions with ease.

That's so true. If I could fly to the ISS as easy as I flew to places on this planet, then I really wouldn't want to see any more space flights.

May the almighty forgive me for this very bad joke.

 

[Eli13]

A manned mission to Mars (with me on board it jk :lol and a un-manned mission to Europa also. Maybe even more men to the moon even if theres "no money" in it. I'd just like to see it. I wasn't born at the right time for that.

 

[Krikkit]

Unmanned: I would like there to be space based telescope built, maybe on the moon, with a high resolution and narrow aperture for the sole purpose of studying exoplanets.

Manned: Mars landing.

Lets see, with medical technology the way it is I think I should like another 70 years. I don't think it is too much to ask to see at least the beginning of a Mars teraforming project

 

[Sky Captain]

Manned Mars landing and establishment of a permanent research base would be on top of what I would like to see being done in my lifetime.
Development and deployment of advanced propulsion systems to allow fast manned missions to outer solar system.

Unmanned: a robotic research submarine in the oceans of Europa. Robotic airplane on Titan.

 

[rodion_herrera]

The one that I'd be on, of course!

-RODION

 

[Nazban]

This wont count as a single space mission, but im waiting for the time when a new craft will be discoverd that will make space travel as easy as travelling on roads(or even planes & trains)

Just wish i live long enough to see that day happen :lol:

 

[deltawing777]

I would like to see in my lifetime a way to get a probe/Sat to a planet in a different solar system in the "goldilocks zone".