Start of a space race? Or star wars? (Score 1)

Although several nations are talking about building bases on the moon, in point of fact no nation can feel safe in allowing any other single nation to build a base there. It isn't an issue of feel-good space tourism; it's a military issue.

The reason military tactics urge seizing the high ground is that it's harder to go uphill than down. The energy spent moving uphill can't be used to fight a battle when you get there. The moon is the ultimate high ground.

Consider that launching missiles to attack the moon require huge boosters, much bigger for a given size warhead than the other way around. The cost for each launch is higher, or the payloads smaller, than a moonside base could deliver. Heck, from the moon you could lob large boulders and let earth's gravity turn them into highly-destructive missiles. There isn't any point on the earth's surface a lunar base couldn't reach.

So okay, this is far-future stuff; it would take years to get a base up and running, and years more before it became a viable military threat, but you can bet it's in the plans whenever any nation starts talking about Luna Hiltons and space tourism. When military budgets are put into the project, NASA's will be the petty-cash fund.

You may think this is a joke, or paranoia at work. Consider, though, whether you would feel the same if you *knew* that starting tomorrow, China would be developing its moon base in some unspecified way, with some unknown number of workers and undisclosed technology. Think how China would feel if it were the US doing the same thing instead. If you liked the cold war, you're gonna love the moon-base race.