Comments by "" (@charlesvan13) on "160 Beats Per Minute: The Final, Frantic Moments Before The Historic Moon Landing | Mach | NBC News" video.

@Pietro-Smusi I heard there is a plan to build a base on the South pole of the Moon--probably to take advantage of possible ice deposits. It would also make a good observatory of both the Earth and deep space.
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Because it's very expensive. And there is no cold war to drive competition, in something that costs over 100 billion, Apollo program in today's dollars.
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@Pietro-Smusi US politicians intend to return "by 2023". They already have a new "command module", this time seating 4, rather than 3.
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@Pietro-Smusi That makes sense. The Moon has 1/6 Earth's gravity, so it would be healthier that staying in orbit long term. And space craft in Moon orbit can launch to interplanetary space with less thrust than from Earth orbit. That's what Trump was talking about when he said a Mars mission includes the Moon.
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