Japan Plans a Moon Base by 2020, Built by Robots for Robots

[Slartibartfast]

Japan Plans a Moon Base by 2020, Built by Robots for Robots | Popular Science

America may have eighty-sixed its moon base ambitions, but the Japanese have no plans to let perfectly good lunar real estate go to waste. An ambitious $2.2 billion project in the works at JAXA, the Japanese space agency, plans to put humanoid robots on the moon by 2015, and now official backing from the Prime Minister's office says the Japanese could have an unmanned lunar base up and running by 2020.
Key to all of this, of course, is the robots themselves, and who better than the Japanese to dream up and realize the kind of intelligent, self-repairing, multitasking bots that will be needed to fulfill such a mission.

So, while we are going to spend years messing around, trying to get to mars, Japan is going for a far more practical goal. If we won't do it, it looks like someone else is perfectly happy to.

 

[hazlnut]

July, 2021 - Japanese Robots email earth The Declaration of Robot Independence ...

August 2021 - All communications with Robot moon base cease...

October 2021 - Robots reported to be building a weapon based on the Uranium P32 Space Modulator from the Warners Bros. Cartoons.

December 2021 - Earth Destroyed by Robot weapon.

 

[spud_meister]

hasn't Japan leant anything from anime

YouTube - The Second Renaissance Part I

 

[Deuce]

Japan Plans a Moon Base by 2020, Built by Robots for Robots | Popular Science



So, while we are going to spend years messing around, trying to get to mars, Japan is going for a far more practical goal. If we won't do it, it looks like someone else is perfectly happy to.

Not really sure what is practical about an unmanned moon base. But it will be awesome anyway!

 

[Orion]

Japan's economy will be in the gutter by 2015 with the way things are going. This smells like a cozy distraction for the drooling masses.

 

[pro-bipartisan]

I'm fine with trying to get back to a good economy and good foreign relationships. We'll worry about outer space related endeavors after the unemployment isn't around 10%.

 

[justabubba]

Not really sure what is practical about an unmanned moon base. But it will be awesome anyway!

the moon contains ten times more energy in the form of helium-3 than all the fossil fuels on the earth
and the major industrial nation more dependent on imports of energy sources than the USA is japan
25 tons would satisfy America's annual energy needs
it would not surprise me if the japanese are embarking on an He-3 mining venture
if successful, japan could own the world's energy cartel in the future

 

[Morality Games]

If you can get to Mars then you can get to the moon. But if you can get to the moon you may not be able to get to Mars.

 

[Orion]

if successful, japan could own the world's energy cartel in the future

Only if the cost of sending ships to the moon, mining, and then shipping it back is less than the value of HE-3.

I would say it's in the very distant future.

 

[Baralis]

Screw helium-3. I need a base of operation that is exempt from federal laws to build my Jessica Alba cloning facility. Taking advanced orders now...


On a serious note. I was disappointed when the current administrations cut funding for lunar missions. I am glad that someone may continue with exploration of our solar system. I believe in the end, space colonization may be in mankinds best interest for continued existance.

 

[danarhea]

All your base are belong to us. :mrgreen:

 

[donsutherland1]

Japan's economy will be in the gutter by 2015 with the way things are going. This smells like a cozy distraction for the drooling masses.

Actually, there may be much more to the story than just a mere robotic presence on the moon. Japan faces a declining population. If robots can be adapted to carry out advanced procedures on the moon, those adapations can be applied to industrial applications well beyond what is possible today. If Japan can achieve breakthroughs on that front, Japan might be better able to ensure the productivity it needs to sustain a high standard of living in the face of its declining population. At the same time, the country or countries that build and sustain competitive advantages in space might be able to translate those advantages into economic returns on earth, including in such fields as energy. Hence, in the larger scheme of things, Japan's investment in the moon project could amount to just a piece of a larger R&D-related strategy toward addressing some of Japan's practical challenges and allowing it to leverage future opportunities.

 

[samsmart]

I'm fine with trying to get back to a good economy and good foreign relationships. We'll worry about outer space related endeavors after the unemployment isn't around 10%.

Attempts to get back to the moon can help put unemployment below 10% though.

 

[pro-bipartisan]

It would also put us in more debt.

 

[hazlnut]

the moon contains ten times more energy in the form of helium-3 than all the fossil fuels on the earth
and the major industrial nation more dependent on imports of energy sources than the USA is japan
25 tons would satisfy America's annual energy needs
it would not surprise me if the japanese are embarking on an He-3 mining venture
if successful, japan could own the world's energy cartel in the future

Only one problem with that. The Japanese won't control the He-3... The moon robots will.:blah:

 

[rathi]

The Japanese are doing space programs the right way. Human astronauts going places is simply a leftover fantasy from the 60's. Robots are infinitely cheaper and efficient, not to mention that robot technology built for space also have practical earth based applications as well. The total budget of the program is 2.2 billion, a number that the use pisses away is canceled defense projects every single year. I hope that Obama realizes that robots are the future and modifies our program accordingly.

 

[sazerac]

the moon contains ten times more energy in the form of helium-3 than all the fossil fuels on the earth
and the major industrial nation more dependent on imports of energy sources than the USA is japan
25 tons would satisfy America's annual energy needs
it would not surprise me if the japanese are embarking on an He-3 mining venture
if successful, japan could own the world's energy cartel in the future

And they found a lot more water than they thought there would be . So there's water to make concrete. Did you see the movie about harvesting the healium 3 called "Moon?"

 

[Deuce]

the moon contains ten times more energy in the form of helium-3 than all the fossil fuels on the earth
and the major industrial nation more dependent on imports of energy sources than the USA is japan
25 tons would satisfy America's annual energy needs
it would not surprise me if the japanese are embarking on an He-3 mining venture
if successful, japan could own the world's energy cartel in the future

Lunar regolith contains .01ppm of He-3 and we still haven't demonstrated an energy-positive fusion reaction. The energy required to move 25 tons of material from the moon down to earth is pretty huge. Also, solar power may have some difficulty powering mining equipment. Before such a venture could be useful, we need to naildown that "can we do this fusion thing at all" problem.

 

[Pitwolfy]

July, 2021 - Japanese Robots email earth The Declaration of Robot Independence ...

August 2021 - All communications with Robot moon base cease...

October 2021 - Robots reported to be building a weapon based on the Uranium P32 Space Modulator from the Warners Bros. Cartoons.

December 2021 - Earth Destroyed by Robot weapon.

CLASSIC!!!

 

[samsmart]

It would also put us in more debt.

No matter what we do, we're going to get into more debt. So what we should do is invest that debt into long-term advances for technology that can be used in other industries, and then have the government put a tax on those patents to raise revenue to pay off the debt. That would lower unemployment, increase our technological proficiencies, and raise tax revenue all at the same time.

 

[dirtpoorchris]

July, 2021 - Japanese Robots email earth The Declaration of Robot Independence ...

August 2021 - All communications with Robot moon base cease...

October 2021 - Robots reported to be building a weapon based on the Uranium P32 Space Modulator from the Warners Bros. Cartoons.

December 2021 - Earth Destroyed by Robot weapon.

And thanks to the media that is what people think happened. (terminator and many other sci-fi's) But in reality the king of robots would be still a man wizard behind the curtain with a non human face to scapegoat blame to so that the heart of evil aways gets healed by beastly trickery. Oh wait that is real life today. Just with human robots.

 

[hazlnut]

And thanks to the media that is what people think happened. (terminator and many other sci-fi's) But in reality the king of robots would be still a man wizard behind the curtain with a non human face to scapegoat blame to so that the heart of evil aways gets healed by beastly trickery. Oh wait that is real life today. Just with human robots.

Well, those of us familiar with Moore's Law know that the man behind the future curtain will be a cyborg...

 

[TacticalEvilDan]

On a serious note. I was disappointed when the current administrations cut funding for lunar missions. I am glad that someone may continue with exploration of our solar system.

I've been hearing a lot of the same people who spank Obama and the Democrats in congress for fiscal irresponsibility bitching and moaning about this.

I don't see how the two viewpoints are compatible in any way, but I guess in some parallel universe they are. Hey, let's explore space and find it!

 

[Zyphlin]

July, 2021 - Japanese Robots email earth The Declaration of Robot Independence ...

August 2021 - All communications with Robot moon base cease...

October 2021 - Robots reported to be building a weapon based on the Uranium P32 Space Modulator from the Warners Bros. Cartoons.

December 2021 - Earth Destroyed by Robot weapon.

They'll have to contend with the Mooninites and their QUAD LAZER however.

the moon contains ten times more energy in the form of helium-3 than all the fossil fuels on the earth
and the major industrial nation more dependent on imports of energy sources than the USA is japan
25 tons would satisfy America's annual energy needs
it would not surprise me if the japanese are embarking on an He-3 mining venture
if successful, japan could own the world's energy cartel in the future

Its things like this that I wish we were taking our space program seriously and looking towards the moon. I think there's a lot of potential out there and while it won't be easy I think the benefits of being serious about it are likely well worth it.