Another BBC Horizon Rant.

I was really looking forward to watching this and I was terribly disappointed. I mean it took 50 minuets to say we might find it profitable to go back to the moon by mining (some how in some way we won’t describe) for helium three. Oh and someone is selling property on the moon but we don’t know if this is legal or not or at least we don’t want to explore this any further. Oh and someone we found is spending his retirement driving around and eating and looking for gifted moon rock, but we are going to leave it at that. All the assertions where put up with out any journalistic attempt to balance them about opposing views. What about the people who say we should not go back to the moon, what about the scientists who say we should go back but using robots not people and save money and do real science?

Ok a program like this is a good excuse to do a couple of interviews and then use lots of free historic NASA shots for a cheap program but at least you could use Google and try to get some of the exciting and interesting ideas and issues. Here are a few examples to demonstrate how you manage to make an exciting idea and turn it in to a turgid boring school report. Did you read ‘Return the Moon’?

LunaCorp – want to do private exploration to look for water on mars by having a robot people form earth can learn to drive for a mile or two from earth.

Groups like space-frontier are groups of concerned citizens who are spearheading the new developments in economically viable permanent human settlements on the moon. Where are the developments coming from the private and volunteer sector not NASA or Government?

Private companies have already begun to make advances on the beginnings of private space travel would they go out to the moon ( good chance to recyle interviews and stock footage from old Horizon missed).

Some studies have shown that moon dust will be incredibly dangerous to long term occupation – what about astronauts surviving the trip only to die of silicosis of the lungs in later life?

Why exactly did you not share with use the outline of the method used to make water? Its like watching a magician who promises to revel the secret of how its done and then says ‘no showing you how the trick is done it will put you off’. If you where filming a murder mystery would you edit out the exposition in front of all the suspects with the detective saying ‘the murderer was very clever, and I don’t want to talk down to you or patronize you so I I’m not going to tell you did it or how or even why’?

One of the worst Horizons and most missed opportunities in a long time. You could have done a lot better job for a lot less money.