Originally posted by DA Morgan:
Today we can't even do what we did in the 1970s: Put a man on the moon.
the technology to build a Saturn type rocket still exist, as does the ability to use it. the question is why use it. there are better ways of doing it.
it would have been possible, though unlikely for european to use a canoe type boat to reach the new world. how many ppl do you think would have reached it. the early sail boats would not have survived the Atlantic, while later sail boats could circle the world.
in case you are not aware, Columbus was not the first person to cross the Atlantic. the vikings did that long before he did. there is even evidence, though not much or even fully accepted, that others reach the shores before them, usually, according to storied, blown there by storms. did these result in colonization? no. why? because the ships used were not capable of crossing the Atlantic with any degree of safety (meaning lots of loss of life, who would risk that), or cross more than a few times (ships were expensive, why would ship owners risk them). By the time of Columbus, ships had improved to the point that the safety was vastly increased, and the ability to return often enough to be worth the cost was increased.
Saturn v was like the early ships, capable of getting there if they were done just right, but not duplicated able, and way to expensive, and dangerous, to allow colonizing. technology is advancing enough and fast enough, that we might soon be able to colonizing the moon, space, and mars. perhaps soon our children will even be able to reach the stars
