# Russia announces plans for permanent Moonbase **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 1, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687 "2007-09-01T00:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/21 "2007-09-01T19:43:39Z")
Well it’s about time. Nationalist pride has done more for space exploration than all the other more noble sentiments such as furthering the sum of human knowledge. It’s all about being able to say:“Nyah Nyah, we were first, neener neener…” But if a good thing is being done for a bad reason, is it so bad? ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/22 "2007-09-01T20:09:02Z")
[QUOTE=carnivorousplant] I would think that broken pencil points and shavings in a weightless environment would be a pain in the ass…er, eye nose and throat. [/QUOTE] Crayons? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/23 "2007-09-01T20:16:27Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] Yeah, but it’s fun to say. Tang. Tang tang. Taaaaang. Tangtangtangtang. I’ll go now. [/QUOTE] I like Tang. Whenever someone says, ‘Do you want some Tang?’ I say ‘Yes, please.’ Incidentally, a similar drink was enjoyed by whalers. Harpoon Tang. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/24 "2007-09-01T20:17:09Z")
[QUOTE=Laughing Lagomorph] Crayons? [/QUOTE] They wear out fairly quickly, though. And who’s going to take a table filled in with orange crayon seriously? ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/25 "2007-09-01T20:21:22Z")
I’ve heard biros work fine in space. Too lazy to find a cite. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/26 "2007-09-01T20:40:18Z")
Do felt tip pens depend upon gravity? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/27 "2007-09-01T21:00:17Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] NASA spent millions of dollars developing a pen that would write in zero-gravity. [/QUOTE] Only they didn’t. Fisher developed the pen entirely independently, then convinced NASA to try it. Turns out, though, that most ordinary ballpoint pens work just fine in microgravity. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/28 "2007-09-01T21:00:46Z")
[QUOTE=BrainGlutton] [It’s been done.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Moon_Is_A_Harsh_Mistress) [/QUOTE] Curse you. I came in to post this. ARRRRRRGH! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/29 "2007-09-01T21:29:48Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Turns out, though, that most ordinary ballpoint pens work just fine in microgravity. [/QUOTE] I’m unable to find that. [This](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6173154.stm) is typical: > [@](#): > > There is an old and oft-repeated rumour that because standard pens don’t work in zero-gravity, Nasa spent millions devising a space pen, while the Russians used pencils. > > But this has been debunked, not least because - strange to say - pencils pose dangers in space, from broken-off tips floating about and graphite and wood being flammable in a pure oxygen atmosphere. And it was not Nasa which developed the space pen, but inventor Paul Fisher, and it was adopted by both sides in the space race by 1968. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/30 "2007-09-01T22:26:56Z")
Will they use the same old rocket that they’ve used since Gagarin? I would think that sending a lot of heavy stuff to the moon would require a ultra-heavy lift rocket. The last one they built blew up! ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/31 "2007-09-01T23:03:05Z")
[QUOTE=Q.E.D.] Only they didn’t. Fisher developed the pen entirely independently, then convinced NASA to try it. Turns out, though, that most ordinary ballpoint pens work just fine in microgravity. [/QUOTE] That’s why I said “joke” — I’d heard it stated as a joke, and didn’t know whether or not it was true. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/32 "2007-09-01T23:14:44Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Will they use the same old rocket that they’ve used since Gagarin? I would think that sending a lot of heavy stuff to the moon would require a ultra-heavy lift rocket. The last one they built blew up! [/QUOTE] They had the N1-L3, which had 30 engines and was to be the Soviet Moon rocket. But it never had a successful flight and was cancelled in 1976. An Energia, discontinued at the same time as the Soviet Union, might have been used with eight strap-on Zenit rockets. Good question. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/33 "2007-09-01T23:29:44Z")
[QUOTE=Bosstone] Yeah, but it’s fun to say. Tang. Tang tang. Taaaaang. Tangtangtangtang. I’ll go now. [/QUOTE] 'Course, it’s really only half a word. But talk about fun! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/34 "2007-09-01T23:31:22Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] What’s that old joke? “NASA spent millions of dollars developing a pen that would write in zero-gravity. The Soviets used pencils.” [/QUOTE] [UL.](http://www.snopes.com/business/genius/spacepen.asp) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/35 "2007-09-01T23:34:11Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] Will they use the same old rocket that they’ve used since Gagarin? I would think that sending a lot of heavy stuff to the moon would require a ultra-heavy lift rocket. The last one they built blew up! [/QUOTE] Note that they’re setting a target date of 2025. Plenty of time to develop something. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2007, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687/36 "2007-09-01T23:55:55Z")
Why not? The weathers better than Siberia! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russia-announces-plans-for-permanent-moonbase/417687.md?page=1)