Bay 12 Games Forum

What I meant is that people living on a moon base (or some other hostile environment) are not going to be able to rely on things like frequent deliveries or running power lines from the nearest hydroelectric dam. They'd need to produce their own power (without relying on fuel shipments), grow their own food (to supplement diets), recycle water and air, maybe even make their own. Point is, this isn't stuff you try to do on the fly. You need preparation and testing done on Earth, and the techniques we learn could improve life down here as well as up there.

Education: The problem is that many schools already do not get enough funding. If schools could afford things like science labs and decent computers (instead of barely being able to buy enough paper), students would be more interested in learning and pursue those science-y careers you were talking about. We can't build a moon base using a bunch of fast-food workers, so education comes first (maybe with some reforms to solve those problems you alluded to).

Economy: I fail to see how sinking billions of dollars into something like a moon base will fix our own economy. Unless you anticipate being one of the lucky colonists, you'll still have to deal with the massive debt and constant budget cuts. Making sure we don't collapse and become a third-world country is priority numero uno.

I will grant you the science and knowledge point, because you're right; the space race greatly expanded our technological abilities and helped a lot of people all over the world begin to dream big.

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You guys are nuts. A project to build a moon base is a retarded idea and it would further bankrupt the country for no reason whatsoever.

You wound, me good sir. No good reason? Truly? Alas, my highest ideals apparently aren't worth the dirt on your boots. So be it!

But seriously, I can't think of a better thing to spend tax money on.

Education? Bringing down the national debt? Furthering science and knowledge? Sustainable power, water, and food? All of these things are far more important, and those last three would be tremendous help in actually running a moon colony once we got around to it.

Sadly, moonbases will have to wait. Aren't those futures filled with flying cars also usually shining utopias of peace and harmony? At least, the 50s versions were. Since we have nothing remotely resembling a utopia yet, no moon base. Think of it as an incentive 

Don asks Markus, "So did you see anything unusual in there, or are we clear?"

Markus thinks back, rubbing his chin. He had decided to keep the medkit on him, in case there were any injuries during preparation.
"Now that I think about it, one of the walls in there had a small crack in it. I'm not sure if it was an exterior wall or not. Do you want to check it out?"

I vote for the asteroid belt after picking up the away teams. It's a lot closer (in this game's terms, at least) to Mars than Venus. Besides, I like the idea of throwing a few icy bodies at Mars as part of a long-term terraforming effort.

Research the Relic, but I'm gonna request that we continue improving our probes (option H). We got lucky and found one artifact, but we need more information about those other Martian sites. Not to mention the other, undiscovered places that may be lurking in the solar system!

Also, we should pick up the away teams before doing anything else. A single day is not enough leeway time; one engine or navigational error and they're as good as dead.

Yeah, well your head is on fire, so there!

In that case, I vote that we begin research in Sensors, since that probe sounds like it might be useful. We will visit Mars first, just to prove we can, but Mercury should be rich in minerals and metals for expansion and should be scanned/surveyed at the first opportunity.