Quick Poll

With Tuesday's blood drive for UWG graduate student Aimee Copeland as a backdrop, when was the last time you donated blood?

Recent Polls

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Tuesday, February 09, 2010 in Opinion

Moon mission golden opportunity

President Obama has canceled NASA's Orion Program that would have sent astronauts back to the moon to continue the agency's history of exploration. While I agree with the decision to cancel the mission to the Moon, I am still in favor of returning there. Now is the time to close the door on the government's monopoly on lunar exploration and to open the door to the private sector. This would usher in a new era of economic prosperity for our country and allow NASA to focus on making truly amazing discoveries.

The government should not only allow the private sector to venture off to the Moon, it should encourage it through tax incentives that would allow such a costly venture to mine the Moon for its resources. The Moon's surface is enriched with the helium-3 isotope. This isotope could be used to fuel a fusion reactor that would cheaply and efficiently produce electricity for the world without producing radioactive waste. This is an oversimplification of the isotope's potential, but such a venture would change the paradigm of the global energy market, strengthen America's economy and help end our reliance on foreign oil.

Without burdening itself with manned missions, NASA could concentrate on unmanned exploration and begin a new age of discovery. Robotic missions to Jupiter's moon Europa, for example, could make remarkable discoveries that would answer ageless questions about our place in the universe.

The President should allow the risk of manned space flight to shift from NASA to the private sector and then allow the free market to reap the profits that will follow. Such an influx of capital would reignite our country's economy while NASA reignites our imaginations with unmanned discoveries throughout our solar system and beyond.

William Lockard

Newnan