A private spacecraft has completed the first US moon landing in 50 years, what do you think?

[Smashingdoozy]

[MrOracle]

Most people have NO IDEA how massively they've benefitted from the first moon program. Without it, your "phone" would likely still be a thing screwed to a wall and connected by a cable, and IF there were home computers, they would probably look more like a 1980s computer than what we have today. A *staggering* amount of research and development was done during the Cold War, and for the moon landings specifically, that very rapidly advanced the production of integrated circuits and then microprocessors that are today in nearly everything we touch. The first CCD digital camera, many common medicines, and literally thousands of other technologies that we all benefit from every day were given a massive advancement by the space program.

And, so, today, we now have private companies that are able to send payloads into orbit and to the moon - a whole lot of them for commercial purposes that provide services for us. I'd bet a bunch of people here have Starlink for Internet service, for example.

The US government's cost to launch a satellite into orbit has recently been anywhere from $400,000,000 to over $1,000,000,000 per launch. SpaceX has gotten that number down to under $6M for a low-Earth orbit and about $10M for higher-altitude or geosynchronous orbits, and SpaceX is literally handing 80% of the entire world's launch payloads. That's nothing short of incredible.

[Sharkstealth]

I've read that most common medicines and anesthetics came from a botanist by the name of Richard Schultes who studied ancient native cultures. He travelled to the jungles of South America and lived amongst the people and brought back their knowledge.

[loveslongnails]

" ... many common medicines, and literally thousands of other technologies that we all benefit from every day were given a massive advancement by the space program." Really? LITERALLY THOUSANDS? Hmm, I know of several benefits, such as water purification advancements, polymer fabrics, wireless communication advances, freeze dried foods, space toilets... but thousands? I don't think so, Sir, unless you're counting every offshoot of a every new development since the 1960's.

[MrOracle]

@loveslongnails I'm absolutely counting offshots, because they were all greatly accelerated by the space program. And while lots of those are, individually, small things - while some are individually so significant that most people know about them and can't deny the connection - the truth is that without just a few of the small things, our daily lives would be directly affected.

The space program forced so much R&D to be done in such a short time that lots of things that ultimately weren't even used in the space program still got funded and figured out or invented and we enjoy the benefits of that today.

[FunkyMonkee]

No, we've had the ability to have cell phone tech since at least the `50's.

[MrOracle]

@FunkyMonkee You need more than just the theoretical technology - you also need commercial viability or that technology will be limited to a lab or extremely well-funded organizations on a very limited level.

upload.wikimedia.org/.../640px-Biophone_-_1.jpg

The first commercial cellular phones (called biophones) were suitcase models used by first responders in a few large cities, starting in the late 1970s, but they were very expensive, very inefficient, and not at all scalable - only a handful could be in operation at once. It took nearly another whole decade to create a more scalable system that could support, say, 100,000 simultaneous devices across the USA - and that was the "Generation 1" (or 1G) analog cellular system that was maxed out and had to be replaced in the mid-90s with the first digital cellular phones - what we now call "2G".

The space program was responsible for a number of technologies that directly led to the advancements that made commercial cellular technology available to the masses. There's a reason cellular phones were such status symbols in the cop show Miami Vice, which began airing in September of 1984 - they were so expensive (both the device and the monthly service charges) that pretty much only C-suite corporate executives and drug dealers could afford to own one at the time.

Without the space program, it might well have taken another 20-30 years before cellular phones were a viable consumer product.

[FunkyMonkee]

I'm not talking about the tech pimps, drug dealers and business moguls had back in the `70's. We had the tech back in the `50's that equaled what you've probably got in your pocket right now, maybe even the `40's.

[MrOracle]

@FunkyMonkee [citation needed]

[FunkyMonkee]

watch some Steven Greer videos. He mentions in a few of them how we've had the tech since back then. Maybe it was even farther back like, when Tesla invented the tower that broadcasts free electricity around the world. It's been a few months since I've seen one of his vids.

[Sharkstealth]

Who has Starlink here? I do not and I personally don't know a single person who does. At one time I wanted a Tesla but no way in hell would I buy one now. Cell phones were created because of satellites but could you actually tell me something we benefited from by the moon? We killed lots of people.

[loveslongnails]

Sorry, you're still off by "thousands".

[RebelinSteel]

A lot of the current space activity is part of the longer goal for the mission (s) to Mars. It also tested some relatively new tech, such as Navigation Doppler LiDAR (NDL). As well as a Mars mission there is also a plan to establish a manned site on the moon, or sites depending who gets there first.

[laly520]

any progress is a good progress

tho I have lot of doubts

[Friendlybro79]

I don't care about the moon. I just want a raise for my hard work, healthcare that's affordable, social security that isn't under attack and for me to not have to gamble my retirement in the stock market and go back to pensions.

The moon? How about fixing the frigging pot holes? This is proof how the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

[jshm2]

Much ado about nothing.

Most of the space programs have little technology worth and are more about political grandstanding.

Sure the private sectors who patent the technology make their money and follow on products. But there is a whole other spectacle in the "space race"

[itsclearlynicholas]

I saw that news the other day. There's a big full moon out tonight as we speak my time zone. I even took some photos on my sunset night walk. Anyways gallery permission always says deny's on this app sigh. Anyways. It's cool. I wouldn't say it was a big deal to me. It was cool though I guess. I like how the moon is so round and shaped like perfection 🌕🌕

[itsclearlynicholas]

I mean just look at the emoji 🌕 that's perfection 👀

[Kaneki05]

To do what though? Just look around and go home? Seems useless.
Now if they are building a proper station on the moon then maybe that's useful.
But depending on that answer it was either really dumb or just alright lol.

[DryGermanGuy]

Sponsored by Coca-Cola, or something? After all, there are no shops on the moon yet!

[KostasKouvalis]

Took 50 years to get a robot up there and they want us to believe we landed people there? How stupid do they think we are? Why hasn't any East Asian country with its advanced technology and huge robotics industry done this?

[Still-alive]

Ehh people will just deny it like the first time we did it lol.

impressive though

[dreamstar72]

Why not we are already destroying Earth so now on to the Moon, then the Milky Way galaxy and finally the Universe.

[CuriousMufuxka]

I never knew the moon looked so earthlike and low level photoshopped!

[Smashingdoozy]

"This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows its Odysseus lunar lander with the Earth in the background on Feb. 16, 2024. The image was captured shortly after separation from SpaceX’s second stage on Intuitive Machines’ first journey to the moon. (Intuitive Machines via AP)"



Here they are with the moon in the background ☺️

[CuriousMufuxka]

And totally looks like a moon landing! What a doozy to see an image of that object being "anally probed"

[Wiredone]

Now everyone will want to go to the moon. Lol

[Bklynbadboy12]

I think it's progress so it's good. But I think we're going a little too far time to pull back a little bit

[James_Likes_PPL]

I think you should close your mouth.

[Smashingdoozy]

✨no✨

[James_Likes_PPL]

Do you even mew? Lmfao 🤣

[lightbulb27]

pretty cool! how much co2 that create?

[MrOracle]

Surprisingly, not all that much. About as much as a dozen airliners flying from NYC to LA, maybe less.

Do you know how much CO2 is in the atmosphere, as a percentage of the total? Most people have no idea. Do you?

[lightbulb27]

@MrOracle no, but I asked the net...04%. tiny.
that sounds like a lot of co2 for one flight... basically burning stuff causes co2.
some happy plants out there... lots of good clean co2 to breathe!

[slatyb]

They will be putting up ads pretty soon.

[genericname85]

i wonder what they're getting out of this.

[Smashingdoozy]

Fake glory etc

[Smashingdoozy]

Fame*

[genericname85]

glory and fame can't buy shit xD

[FunkyMonkee]

India did that last summer.

[Dargil]

Progress = good.

[exitseven]

pretty cool. I hope man goes back soon.

[ChicoFromThe305]

Hope they bring me some moon rocks

[RARETRAMP]

Two words for you Peter Schiling

[OtterMan68]

Good start for future manned missions

[OddBeMe]

Did it prove the earth is flat?

[Jmmmfi4]

WISH I WAS THERE

[strateguy632]

sweet!

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

Means nothing.

[Charliefretz329]

Expensive hobby

[noohair]

About time.

[shortster]

About time

[Anonymous]

I think its awesome!