Why America Must Return to the Moon

I am a science fiction author. Those of us who write science fiction weave tales of the future. Sometimes they are wonderful dreams, other times they are the stuff of nightmares. This is especially true when fiction becomes fact. A good example of this is H.G, Wells, The War in the Air, written in 1908, it told of fleets of German bombers blasting British cities to rubble. This was penned just five years after the first powered flight, when aircraft were fragile creations of wood, wire and canvas, barely able to exceed fifty miles per hour or fly much further than a few dozen miles, yet Wells's story was a look at the future of 1940 when fleets of German HE-111s filled the skies over London and rained down death upon the population. In 1941, author Robert Heinlein wrote a short story that predicted the development of the atomic bomb four years before the first test in New Mexico. In his story, the men who have unlocked the secret of a nuclear fission weapon, discuss the implications. One of the men thinks his country will have a monopoly on the weapon until the other points out it will just be a matter of time before many nations have it and then it will be like a room full of men, each pointing a loaded .45 at each other and each man depending upon the rationality of the other not to pull the trigger. This has become the literal truth. Remarkably, today, I find myself following in the footsteps of those writers of note who have seen their stories of fiction become reality.

In the fall of 2008, I completed my second novel, RED MOON. In the story, cutbacks in NASA's budget by a new administration cause the Constellation Moon Program to be delayed and underfunded. This causes the United States to fall far behind in a return to the Moon. The story also includes the fact that water ice has been found in great abundance below the lunar south pole. This is a resource that turns a potential moon base from an expensive science experiment, to a strategic outpost to not only reap the mineral resources of the Moon, but to control the economics of our planet and enforce by military action, what nations have access to space and what nations are forbidden to engage in the use of space for commerce or military activities. In my novel, China takes the initiative and lands a military expedition at the lunar south pole in the year 2017. This places the United States in an unacceptable position with China able to interdict any space launch from Earth and to place weapons into low Earth orbit from the Moon, that would be undetectable. The United States must form a coalition with both the Russian and European space agencies to put together and emergency mission to stake a counter claim to these resources. In the process, China and the West face off and creep ever closer to nuclear war.

If you think this is just a good science fiction story, consider these facts. On November the 13th abundant water ice was confirmed to exist on the Moon. On November the 27th Associated Press journalist, Christoper Bodeen reported that China has plans to land a mission on the Moon by 2017. He also stated that their claimed civilian space program is in fact, an arm of the Chinese military. In 2003, the Chinese orbited their first pair of astronauts. There have been additional manned flights since then. In 2006, the Chinese successfully tested a devastating anti-satellite weapon, capable of destroying anything we have in orbit, including a Space Shuttle and the International Space Station. In addition, China has made it known that if they reach the Moon first, they, despite existing UN treaties, plan to claim resources for China. RED MOON is so close to the truth, that it will be cited at the upcoming budget hearings on the future of NASA in Washington. Last week, I met with Congressman Bill Posey of Florida. There is a coalition of democrats and republicans that are working very hard to save the Constellation Project and the manned space program in the face of Strong opposition of President Obama.

Obama's plan to kill off NASA. One of the position papers of Barak Obama back in 2007, stated that his goal for NASA was to shut manned space flight down and transfer funds to education, yet, when he campaigned on the Space Coast of Florida, he promised to close the gap between the aging shuttle and the new Orion space transportation system and to continue funding a return to the Moon. Which position of Mr. Obama are we to believe? Cancellation of the Constellation Project would mean cancellation of both the Ares 1 and Ares 5 rockets. These are designed to take astronauts and cargo into space and to the International Space Station. These same two rockets are the backbone of the Constellation Moon Program. If this project is shelved, it will leave America without access to space. Already Russia, hearing of these potential cuts has raised the price of carrying US astronauts on their Soyuz rockets from $30 million dollars to $51 million dollars per crewman. This is unacceptable. It is also unacceptable to permit China to reach the Moon, claim resources and be in a position to control our uses of space and take out our military and communications satellites at will from the ultimate high ground: the Moon. While some may dismiss the Chinese as an ineffective space power, let me remind you that the opinion of most Americans and the American military in 1940, was that Japan, while aggressive, did not pose a threat to American interests. That illusion was shattered on December 7th 1941 when our Pacific Fleet was devastated by the Japanese attack at pearl harbor. In 2007, the Marshall Institute in Washington, speaking about the Chinese military space program said we could face a "Pearl Harbor in space.

I urge anyone who is reading this article, to contact their senators, their Congressional representatives and even the White House to demand that funding for Project Constellation not be cut. NASA's budget is only 0.4 percent of the federal budget. By curtailing our access to space, we are literally placing America on the chopping block. Not only is our national security imperiled but our economic strength as well. This action would create a devastating unemployment situation for our most brilliant engineers and technicians working on the space program. It would be a disaster that we might never recover from. It would seem the present administration is marching us toward a new role as a second class nation, without the technological resources to thrive in the 21st century. It is time that all of us call a halt to this march and demand that NASA be fully funded. It is not just our economic security that is at stake, it is our very freedom.