(Derek Lyons) wrote in news:436abf1a.1540102
@supernews.seanet.com:

"Jim Oberg" wrote:

Next unmanned lunar landing -- when?

I'm doing a short essay for the 40th anniversary
of the Luna-9 moon landing, and will speculate
on when unmanned lunar landings will resume.
Any crustal ball inputs or insights would be

Nice Freudian slip there....

much appreciated -- thanks in advance!!

My prediction? (At least for the NASA side.) Son-of-Surveyor will
repeat the path of it's parent - it will be cut after one or two
landings to provide funds for son-of-Apollo.

Huh? There were seven Surveyors launched, five of which landed.

NASA seems terrified of
having a significant unmanned lunar exploration program.

In the case of Surveyor, perhaps NASA was merely keenly aware that its
Presidential goal was to land a *man* on the moon within a decade, and
therefore that NASA's mandate for Surveyor extended no further than
supporting that goal (proving that the moon's surface could be landed
upon).

--
JRF

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