Russian roadmap to Solar System colonisation. Moon is the first step.

[Nemo1024]

Vice-president of the Russian government listed strategic objectives of Russia in space. They are:
 - Expansion of Russian presence in the low-orbit space.
 - Exploration and subsequent colonisation of the Moon and near-Moon space.
 - Preparation for colonisation of Mars and other objects of the Solar System, using Moon as the starting pad.

http://lenta.ru/news/2014/04/11/moon/

Last year, China announced that it plans to established a manned colony on the Moon as well. I wonder if the two nations would collaborate in this endeavour.

[Elwar]

You can't build a road to the moon.

Crazy ruskies.

[Nemo1024]

Ok, updated the title to make you Yanks (or possibly greengos) more comfortable

[bryant.coleman]

You can't build a road to the moon.
Crazy ruskies.

The current technology doesn't permit that. But that doesn't mean that in the future that might be impossible. Russian space technology, as of now is much more advanced than the American one.

[Nemo1024]

You can't build a road to the moon.
Crazy ruskies.

The current technology doesn't permit that. But that doesn't mean that in the future that might be impossible. Russian space technology, as of now is much more advanced than the American one.

Actually, current technology does permit building of a small (ISS-sized) manned base on the Moon. All the building blocks exist already and have been extensively tested both on Earth and in space flights.

[harkonnen]

There were plans like this since 60s.
No news here.

Send some permanent residents to moon. That will be the news!

[Nemo1024]

Yes, in the 60-s there was a Soviet Moon base/landing program. Thus the Moon rovers that the Soviet Union sent over there.
Then Americans announced their Moon program, and Soviet had to trump it, so more resources were diverted to the Mars program. Add to that mix internal political rope tugging between the constructor bureau and the government and then end result was neither Moon nor Mars.

[TheButterZone]

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-launches-net-into-space-to-help-with-orbital-debris/

Let's clean our shitty orbit up first, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome was depicted before Gravity.

[bryant.coleman]

Send some permanent residents to moon. That will be the news!

Financials will be a problem, even if technology isn't one. I am sure that any such program will be prohibitively expensive, that neither of the two sides (US and Russia) can think about it right now.

[Nemo1024]

Send some permanent residents to moon. That will be the news!

Financials will be a problem, even if technology isn't one. I am sure that any such program will be prohibitively expensive, that neither of the two sides (US and Russia) can think about it right now.

What about Russia + China?

@TheButterZone: Fully agree with you. Cleaning up should be number 1 priority, not colonisation. ISS has to dodge debris quite often as it is now.

[TheButterZone]

I wonder if ISS could have a moonbase platform and landing kit added on, except then they'd need to play http://chrome.atari.com/missilecommand/

[bryant.coleman]

What about Russia + China?

No. That would be a bad idea. The Chinese are notorious for stealing technology from others. If Russia co-operates with them, then the Chinese will first steal the Russian technology, and then dump the Russians.

[IIOII]

It's well possible that with the reactivation of the Cold War due to Crimea we will also see a reactivation of the space race. This time however I think Russians and Chinese will lie ahead. It will be interesting to see if Europeans will intensify space partnership with Russia.

What about Russia + China?

No. That would be a bad idea. The Chinese are notorious for stealing technology from others. If Russia co-operates with them, then the Chinese will first steal the Russian technology, and then dump the Russians.

I think that's too much of a stereotype. The Chinese are beginning to innovate themselves. They are eager to learn. And with so many people, rest assured that they have enough qualified staff.

[bryant.coleman]

It will be interesting to see if Europeans will intensify space partnership with Russia.

I don't think that will happen in near future. The NASA has already stopped all the co-operation it had with Roscosmos. The European space agencies will soon follow suit.

[Spendulus]

It will be interesting to see if Europeans will intensify space partnership with Russia.

I don't think that will happen in near future. The NASA has already stopped all the co-operation it had with Roscosmos. The European space agencies will soon follow suit.

There's enough room on the Moon, Mars, the asteroids, and the rest of the Solar System for more than one puny little Earth country to go exploring and or settling.

[Spendulus]

You can't build a road to the moon.
Crazy ruskies.

The current technology doesn't permit that. But that doesn't mean that in the future that might be impossible. Russian space technology, as of now is much more advanced than the American one.

Bolded part, nyet.  One reliable 3-4 decade old launch system.

[bryant.coleman]

Bolded part, nyet.  One reliable 3-4 decade old launch system.

People are free to disagree. The NASA doesn't even have a space shuttle program now. They depend on the Russian rockets to get the American crew to the ISS. And for the last two decades, they haven't done anything worthwhile.

[Spendulus]

Bolded part, nyet.  One reliable 3-4 decade old launch system.

People are free to disagree. The NASA doesn't even have a space shuttle program now. They depend on the Russian rockets to get the American crew to the ISS. And for the last two decades, they haven't done anything worthwhile.

Really?

[Sithara007]

Really?

Have they done anything notable? ISS was mostly Russian and European technology.

[bryant.coleman]

Have they done anything notable? ISS was mostly Russian and European technology.

Russians were brought in because NASA didn't had the necessary technological advantage.