NASA’s Celestial Sin: Bombing the Moon
NASA is about to commit an eco-sin on a galactic scale.
On October 8th, in search of water, NASA is going to bomb the Moon.
Water on the Moon, you ask? Yes, scientists think there might be evidence of moisture found in the debris plume (which will, by the way, be visible from Earth). I admit, this irks me; I find it strikingly arrogant. Exploration is one thing, but the Moon doesn’t belong to the United States for benefit and exploitation.
Even if water is found, shuttling it back to Earth is an inconceivably ridiculous prospect, and colonizing the place seems just plain silly. Let’s fix Earth’s problems first – including conserving our own water sources – before setting forth on destructive (and expensive) forays into the Solar System.
Dare this blogger wax sentimental, but the Moon is a celestial body revered by Earthlings of all cultures, inspiring poets, shamans and lovers across the globe. Disrespectfully viewing the natural world as naught more than raw materials has already taken us too far.
Does science rule all? Or are there some ecological lines we should never cross?
Image: Flowery Luza
(4 votes, average: 3.25 out of 5)
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14 Comments
September 9th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I am in total agreement that we need to look after our own planet but I don’t think this rules out space exploration. I find the search for life in outer space tremendously exciting and inspiring and not at all at odds with an environmental agenda at home. The pollution caused by space craft blasting out of our atmosphere is minuscule compared with all the everyday things we do. And although I am as sentimental about the moon as anyone, the idea of a small blast to try to find water beneath the surface does not offend me in the slightest.
I doubt very much they are hoping to export water from the barren moon to the water planet of Earth. They’ll be looking for evidence of whether life could exist on the moon either now or in the past. The moon is not big enough to hold an atmosphere or surface water. If water does exist, it will be buried. And water is essential for life as we know it, even in microbial form. If life is found on the moon or Mars, it means it’s probably quite common throughout the universe or at least our galaxy. I am inspired just thinking about it!
September 10th, 2009 at 3:53 am
We’re at 180-degree odds on this one.
(But that’s the joy of online journalism).
Okay, my ten cents.
Because of the state of our ecosystem, there is *nothing more important* than getting humanity colonizing other worlds, and therefore keeping the pressure up on the world space programme.
Finding water on the moon isn’t just about exploitation – it’s about understanding planetary geology and morphology, including our own planet. We look out there because it helps us understand our own world. We find comparisons. We look at them, firsthand.
Yes, this will allow a moon base to have access to a local supply of water, but it’s also a scientific investigation. (And there’s no question of them trying to ship water back to Earth – that just wouldn’t make any sense).
Also, the Moon is not something to be locked away in a glass case. We’re humans. We go places. That’s what makes us humans. The eco-friendly challenge is to go somewhere without fundamentally compromising its raw beauty. That is something we negotiate, because we all define “raw beauty” differently. But not going? Not an option.
If we don’t go – we lose our humanity. It’s that simple. You like to travel? We all like to travel. But more than that, to be fulfilled, we *need* to travel, even if it’s just going for a walk on a sunny day. Same on a species-wide level. Without hitting the road, we become intellectually and spiritually stunted. We’re as good as dead, in fact. What would humanity have become if it had never come down from the trees, or left a certain region of equatorial Africa?
Wanderlust matters.
Also, regarding “raw materials” – what’s the difference between taking a sip of moonwater and eating an apple?
September 10th, 2009 at 7:40 am
At first read through, I was thinking, “What? We’re bombing the moon? Are you kidding?” After reading Mike’s response, I thought… “OK, well, if we weren’t supposed to ‘go place’ then something will stop us.” If there is a God or other more intelligent forms of life, we’ll find out whether or not our actions are dangerous. I just hate the idea of the potential costs for all mankind. We’re a trial-by-error kind of species… which means when we’re not sure, we test it anyway. And we test and test until we can’t test anymore or until we get the answer we wanted.
September 12th, 2009 at 9:35 am
I’ve never been a big believer in conservation for conservation’s sake. For me, conservation is about preserving the natural world for our descendants. A sunset can be beautiful, but only if there is a conscious individual to view it. We both agree that colonizing the moon is silly. So in that case – why conserve it? NASA isn’t destroying the moon (which would have far worse consequences that robbing poets of their inspiration). It is just creating a small hole to further our (not just the USA’s) understanding of the universe. It will not affect us in any way, will never be seen firsthand, will not harm any animal or plant life, so who cares?
Personally I believe that the human quest for knowledge and understanding is our least arrogant quality, and this persistent endeavor is what elevates us as a species.
September 12th, 2009 at 12:43 pm
@Sam I agree with you that our quest for knowledge and understanding is one of our great qualities as a species. I don’t agree with you that beauty is meaningless if there are no conscious beings to appreciate it. To me that elevates humans above other life forms and I don’t think we fundamentally have any more right to this planet than any other species. I guess I do agree with conservation for its own sake – I think we should protect wilderness because wilderness is an inherently valuable thing. If I knew ahead of time that humans would disappear off the planet tomorrow, it would still not be right to trash the planet before we left.
September 12th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Yhe alleged water-seeking and lunar colonization experiment, is contrary to space law prohibiting environmental modification of celestial bodies. The NASA moon bombing, a component of the LCROSS mission, may also trigger conflict with known extraterrestrial civilizations on the moon as reported on the moon in witnessed statements by U.S. astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong, and in witnessed statements to NSA (National Security Agency) photos and documents regarding an extraterrestrial base on the dark side of the moon.
If the true intent of the LCROSS mission moon bombing is a hostile act by NASA against known extraterrestrial civilizations and settlements on the moon, then NASA and by extension the U.S. government are guilty of aggressive war which is the most serious of war crimes under the U.N. Charter and the Geneva Conventions, to which the U.S. is subject. The U.N. Outer Space Treaty, which the U.S. has ratified, requires that “ The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used by all States Parties to the Treaty exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on celestial bodies shall be forbidden.” 98 nations have ratified and 125 nations have signed the U.N. Outer Space Treaty.
September 12th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Sorry, re-reading my commit I wasn’t very clear. I wasn’t talking about the Earth at all, which obviously should be preserved for the benefit of future generations, as well as the other species that we share it with. However, neither of these arguments apply to the Moon. There is no life there, and we both agree there isn’t going to be on a timescale that is meaningful. NASA does a lot of good work preserving our planet, including climate change research, air quality analysis, education, near-earth collision research, to name but a few. To say they are committing an ‘eco-sin’ is a bit sensationalist and misrepresents what they do for all of us.
September 13th, 2009 at 5:22 am
There’s also the problem of arguments against space exploration being of the either/or variety. Either we save the planet or we go into space. Either we pour money into the environment or we build better rockets.
But the space programme is a vanishingly small amount compared to, say, the recent financial bailouts, or the US Army defense budget. We *can* do both, and we are doing both. We just need to put more money into both (and less money into the things that matter less).
Re. “Let’s fix Earth’s problems first”…
If we say to ourselves that we will only go into space when our planet is fixed, we will never go into space. We will always find something more we can do here. There will always be problems. The trick is managing them enough to keep our world healthy – but our planet will never be perfect.
Another reason not going spacewards worries me is because the natural world is unsympathetic to species that back themselves into a corner. We’re on just the one planet, in a region of space regularly bypassed by large chunks of rock that could instantly render our planet uninhabitable to us if they strayed off course. This is fact, and this is the natural world in action. (Just look at Jupiter recently: http://jupiter.samba.org/ ).
Is it an eco-sin to want to stay alive?
October 4th, 2009 at 2:38 am
Found this clip exploring the issues
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npRste0fgAI
much love
October 4th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
I’m not sure what gave you the impression we’d be shuttling water back to Earth, but I’ll say that assumption is as ridiculous as the prospect itself. And this isn’t a conquest. It’s a science experiment. So when we’ve let corporations poison the Earth to a point of no return in the future, at least we’ll have somewhere else to go. Lobbying humanity to help itself, in my opinion, is a near waste of time. At what point were we ever in really good shape than when we’ve set out on scientific exploration? Science should lead the way. It’s our advancement through reason and logic (not something we’re usually good for).
October 6th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
http://www.associatedcontent.c.....o_the.html
Try reading this and learning something. Nobody is thinking of bringing water back to the Earth. Finding it on the moon, on the other hand, means that water doesn’t have to be taken from Earth to support colonies on the moon someday. There is no eco damage to the moon from this that is any worse that writing your name in the sand on the beach. There are enough real environmental issues without making stuff up. Focus, people, focus.
October 8th, 2009 at 2:12 am
I could be wrong but I thought I had read somewhere that:
Doesn’t the moon have some kind of fundamental effect on the tilt and spin on the earth, and therefore our whole climate, length of our day, and seasons??
and of course the tides?
October 9th, 2009 at 8:04 am
OK it is all starting to make sense now…
Obama getting the nobel peace prize the same day America bombs the moon? The irony is not conincidental, it is actually right on schedule…
Obama is an antizionist, that much has been clear since his administration has taken over, his war on the conservative movement is on the verge of being unprecedented, considering how his department of homeland security has made Christians out to be a national security threat among other facets of the conservative movement, then there is the polar shift in our relationship to Israel.
The change in tone, as far as where the vibe of the Whitehouse is coming from, considering the targets of this nations crosshairs have been polarized to the point where the former targets have now been victimized to the point of making those formerly targeting them the demonized targets: IE the CIA.
The devil is in the details, and the details reak with our former allies being transformed by our current allies… We today stand at a flashpoint that is not only visible in the heavens but on the earth.
Now Obama is declared a nobel peace prize winner the same day we bomb the moon? What does it mean?
America just bombed the moon: A HEAVENLY BODY~!! By definition this is a declaratin of war, but with whom? Are we now officially at war with heaven? We just bombed a heavenly body is it fair to say that Obama has now officially gone to war with God himself?
Obama is a radical beyond the extremes, and imaginations of most Americans who are waking from their sleep. Think about it, if you where a psycho, and wanted to go to war with the God of the Heavens what better way to declare your intent, and what better way to do it, if it was in your power to do so, than to bomb the nearest heavenly body, the moon itself: there is no symbolism to it.
Fact is we are right on pace with biblical prophecy, the end time world leader will lead the world into war with God himself. You can ignore prophecy all you like, but when we are on pace with it, ignoring it takes a lot more effort… This is a bold and radical step that aims to bring mankind one step closer to being the ultimate authority over itself, but in order to do so, Zion needs to be eradicated off of the face of the earth, so that nothing can stand between man rather than the God of creation, being the authority over mankind in the world.
As I write this, the war to remove the Zionists from even praying near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is in full force by Muslim clerics who are urging an uprising of arabs to wage war with Zionists who dare to pray at the actual wall of temple mount they built.
It is official, America according to Obama is no longer a Christian nation, it has actually gone as far as to go to war with the God of creation by bombing the moon. Mankind now has finally emerged on the precipice of being the ultimate authority over itself, while acknowledging Obama as the winner of this peace proccess.
Obama’s former mentor for 20 years and former Muslim, Rev. Wright has a mentor, James Cone. James preaches that God must be killed.
” If God is not for us, and against the white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him.” James Cone
October 9th, 2009 at 9:11 am
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