I’ve always wondered that myself. If we want to go back to the Moon, we have the BLUEPRINTS to do so! One or two manned missions… knock out a few scientific errands, tie up a few computational loose ends, snap a few selfies, then call it a day.

It almost seems like a wasted opportunity not to do some location scouting, while we work on a machine that can be used as a reliable workhorse for establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon.

 

“It’s the way in which the WORLD has moved on since the engineers first created those F1 engines.”

 

 

Screenshots from the YouTube video

 

Every piece of that machine was HAND CRAFTED, custom fit, built to order. A one-of-a-kind that could not be replicated TODAY… the skills and knowledge of the process, now LOST to the passage of TIME.

 

Still one of the most powerful rocket engines ever made. Still one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of human history. 400,000 people, years of planning and design, trial and error, countless hours manufacturing each part… the Saturn V stands as a testament to the ingenuity of the American People.

 

 

“… because engineers can do just about anything.”

 

 

5,600 individual pieces, hand crafted, precision welded by skilled American Engineers.

Now, with the knowledge gained over half a century, aided by computer assisted design…

 

 

… we can build it with only 40 pieces.

 

“It’s sometimes easier to redesign something from SCRATCH, than it is to try and remake the PAST.”

 

… 

 

 

 

 

At some point it becomes detrimental to hold on to the past simply out of nostalgia. Even the Space Shuttle, as amazing as it was, began to show its age by the end of its service.

Once the cracks have been found, turning a blind eye to potential danger is unacceptable… especially when we know we can do it BETTER.

 

-JC