| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/1/2007 5:47:00 PM | | My dad and I were having a conversation about when he was younger, the lift off of a space shuttle was breaking news all around town, I mean people would gather at others houses and have parties around the shuttle launch. Now, watching the shuttle launch is akin to watching a plane takeoff. So I'm asking, Should Congress still be allocating money towards the space program? Is it needed? | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/1/2007 5:55:38 PM | Agreed, the last one i can remember being a big deal was challenger i think? when it blew up in the 80's
I liked the Mars rover footage and they come up with nice pictures soooo keep it funded, the government needs something to lie about spending money on ha. Plus, those folks can keep their jobs. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/1/2007 6:05:23 PM | edit ^^^ you don't recall the more recent destruction of the shuttle as it burned up and exploded all over the southern USA?
You ask your question in an interesting way. The way you present it, it sounds as if the main value you see is entertainment. Now that it's not so entertaining, you question whether it's needed. I doubt that this is what you meant.
To the meat - I would question whether space exploration was EVER "necessary". Did we NEED to keep up with the Joneses? Not really, but it WAS prudent. Was it valuable? Certainly. The many direct and offshoot discoveries, developments and general benefits of space exploration have been mentioned in other threads. With the glut of technology and discovery we now have, it can perhaps be difficult to see exactly what the NEW discoveries and benefits are, but I would challenge that that's because we can't see the trees in the forest. The more significant past benefits would include: all telecommunication, beginning with satellite relay of television, radio, and telephone, and expanded now to cell phones and GPS. These all require an ongoing presence *in* space. Spin-off benefits are far too numerous to address. I believe NASA has a website expressly for that purpose [as also pointed out in another thread].
The only thing I would really question is: is near-space exploration being done effectively, or is it mostly bells and whistles to keep the audience interested? | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/1/2007 6:24:19 PM | Sure it is. The people way up there on the list that would get to leave, need a place to run to if anything happens to our planet. They never tell us everything.
Plus what happens up there stays up there. Who do you think is playing God. Funny some day we may invent what will some day invade us. Sci-fi is it really so far off. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/1/2007 6:24:33 PM |
The way you present it, it sounds as if the main value you see is entertainment.
No, not at all. In a technological based world where pretty much everything can be re-created to a functioning capacity similar or just like the object being simulated; I just question is our continuing presence in "space" beneficial and in what ways? I'm not an expert nor do I know a lot about the advances in space exploration since the 60s. I point out that there is a lack of public interest merely to say who and what is pushing funding of space exploration in Congress since the public does not seem too interested. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/1/2007 6:31:12 PM |
edit ^^^ you don't recall the more recent destruction of the shuttle as it burned up and exploded all over the southern USA?
I missed it :8o
Did it happen on the same day some celebrity got arrested? That usually makes news. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/1/2007 6:41:57 PM |
Did it happen on the same day some celebrity got arrested? That usually makes news.
LOL....good one....and sadly a sign of the times.... | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 9:58:02 AM | Space exploration is necessary because until we can establish a permanent off world colony humankind is subject to being destroyed in the blink of an eye by a random cosmic event such as a meteorite, solar flare, gamma ray burst, ect...
So we need to keep exploring space and advancing our interstellar technology so we can establish colonies elsewhere in the solar system and eventually outside of the solar system. All our current space flights and experiments are precursors to eventually establishing bases off world, while growing wheat or breeding mice in zero gravity may appear boring to you it is necessary if we are going to move beyond the confines of earth. Be patient, space exploration isn't always going to be as exciting as Paris Hilton going to jail but the potential future payoff is going to be huge.
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 11:43:00 AM |
Be patient, space exploration isn't always going to be as exciting as Paris Hilton going to jail but the potential future payoff is going to be huge.
I assume you mean to the the average person. Perhaps one one way of increasing public attention on space would be to send Ms Hilton to the space station. Her training and the visit would probably make a killing as reality TV show and a few months later they could release the zero g porn tapes. Hopfully the publicity would help NASA's funding. Yes it seems odd to me that Paris's arrest got more publicity than say finding the higgs would.
On the main thread: I don't think space exploration if that means visiting the moon and beyond has much of a pay back in terms of stimulating technolgy per dollar spent . However I would still support such exploration because of my interest in exploration and I would call it entertainment. Its really no different than the support we give to the arts and building super colliders. We need to make it more attractive to the average person hence my partly humorious suggestion of sending Paris up.
I would be more reluctant to have my tax dollars spent on creating a human outpost if its only purpose was to save a few select humans from some cosmic event. Especially as I think it can be done much more cheaply here on earth. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 12:32:51 PM | The benefits in space travel are not always obvious. In the '60s the questions were the same. "Let's spend it on the poor and needy" was the general consensus. Well, some was and we still have lots of poor and needy.
Stupid things that we use everyday were developed or made cheaper because of the space program. Teflon and microchips are two that come to mind. There are many more.
Where would we be if Columbus or Marco Polo never did their historic trips of exploration? Man has a desire to explore. Yes it costs alot, but compare it to the military budget for the use of space and you'll find that NASA only gets, at most, 10% of the military space budget. Amazing where the governments emphasis is......
For the manned trip to Mars that was announced a few years ago by George W, NASA isn't being given any more money to do it. They have to work within their own allotted budget, nothing extra to spend and cuts other programs.
Congress delays some projects because they do not give NASA the budget to do them. If you don't do it now then it's more expensive in the next year to do.
As for the lack of 'payback' from going to the moon, who knows what will be found there in a large exploration of it? Paybeack my take years, but it's still there. We may find something that may change our lives completely.
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 2:58:04 PM | Most certainly it's necessary and further more in the future, and hopefully, not ours , but down the line Space Colonization will be a necessity due to over-population and resource exploitation barring any mass-extinction befalling the human race.
Could be one day an Earth man lands on a primitive planet where a common set language is not yet discovered and used and "We" in our technological advancement bequeath to them gifts of enlightenment. Who knows, maybe we'd be reverred, then again if there weren't a God on that planet they also might find it necessary to invent him. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 3:38:24 PM | | I believe we are poluting out atmoshpere with all that left over crap floating around....and for what....? To find a planet or starburst somewhere that may or may not send us a killer flying object of some sort to simply *scare the hell outta us* after its way too late of course.....*grins* | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 7:11:04 PM |
Where would we be if Columbus or Marco Polo never did their historic trips of exploration? Man has a desire to explore.
Another very good point, the spirit of exploration. We go to space to find out what's out there, space is a big place after all and who knows what wonders are out there.
Chekov: "Course heading Captain?"
Kirk: "Second star to the right--and straight on 'til morning." | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 7:29:39 PM | | You mean we would not have Tang, cellular phones, and other great and necessary items but for our travels to the moon???? I doubt we would be without most of the more important innovations and developments in technology without the outlandish ideas about travel to other planets and moons. I think we should concentrate our resources and efforts on learning to live decently on this planet before conquering new frontiers. | |
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grog27
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Joined: 2/25/2005
Msg: 15 | |
| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/2/2007 10:11:20 PM | " You mean we would not have Tang, cellular phones, and other great and necessary items but for our travels to the moon???? I doubt we would be without most of the more important innovations and developments in technology without the outlandish ideas about travel to other planets and moons. I think we should concentrate our resources and efforts on learning to live decently on this planet before conquering new frontiers. "
There have been far more important developments than "Tang, cellular phones" and such. The advances in the medical field alone have made space travel well worth the effort.
All the talk of "spending the money to solve problems here on Earth" is just so much Luddite nonsense. You, I and everyone else knows that the money would just be squandered and would do nothing whatsoever to solve the problems on Earth.
Bottom line; if we don't explore, we perish. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/3/2007 8:10:45 AM |
Yes it costs alot, but compare it to the military budget for the use of space and you'll find that NASA only gets, at most, 10% of the military space budget. Amazing where the governments emphasis is......
I agree with you on this one and I would be suprised if its even 10% probably more like 1%.
The point I was trying to make was not that you do not get payback from space exploration but that it is more cost effect to spend your money directly on research.
Inaddition the problem with suggesting that space exploration is an effective investment is that the majority of analysis to date (that I have read) indicates that it is not and that the money could have been much better spend directly on research.
So I prefer to push for money to be spent on space exploration for no other reason than space exploration. Satisfying our curiosity if you prefer. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/3/2007 1:00:10 PM | Of course! Space is vast and in exploring it may we discover new life or threats that will destroy the earth and in turn prevent it.
If we didn't explore space we wouldn't know that the sun will eventually go supernova and destroy Earth! | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/3/2007 1:33:17 PM | Well hehe i love space topics..im not big on the facts with it but i would love to see them put more effort into it.
Is it necessary but of course like other ppl said to discovery new areas and species..i mean would it not be great to be able to leave this planet. GO live on another planet with new life and different laws of gravity or wutever..i mean the possibilities are endless. One day even finding a species more advanced then mankind....i mean the technologies...the health benefits...maybe there could be ways to expand ur life...cure any disease...alot more money should be going to the ability to travel thru space then try and make space with bombs and shit.... | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/3/2007 6:22:50 PM | | Well my veiws are this. Is the space program needed as far as day to day life is concerned such as feeding your family or having a home. No! However, it is needed on a much deeper level for humanity as a whole. It has always been the nature of humanity to reach for the stars. Humanity as a whole needs barriers to break, and walls to climb. Without goals I fear that we would lose that very thing that has brought our species so far... the drive to achive the imposible! As a whole we need that drive to captivate the young, and inspire all those that wish to make this world a better place. I think the space program is just one of the many embodiments of human nature to reach for ever higher goals. Theirfor yes, yes, yes, we should continue to reach for the stars. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/5/2007 3:12:46 AM | "Is the space program needed as far as day to day life is concerned such as feeding your family or having a home. No! However, it is needed on a much deeper level for humanity as a whole."
As long as the funds for it are taken at gunpoint.  | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/5/2007 1:30:49 PM | just_me_vee (OP),
So I'm asking, Should Congress still be allocating money towards the space program? Is it needed?
In short, ABSOLUTELY. I think there's arguments on the focus of it. Why do we need space technology? Simple -- asteroids & comets. Our planet WILL be hit again, it's a matter of time. The space program is like an insurance-to-be program for diverting asteroids and such in the future from hitting us. The more we progress with space technology, the sooner we'll be able to handle that stuff. | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/5/2007 2:32:52 PM | All the practical, economic, etc. pros and cons of space exploration aside..........
For me it all comes down to this:
I want to see what's out there: whether it in the bottom of the oceans, in the deepest caves, jungles, forests, mountains or the deepest reaches of space. It interests me far more than what the latest Hollywoood couple is up to.
There will always be people who want to know what lies ahead or beyond and will want to explore it. It's a natural human curiosity for some. Human history is full of people leaving what they know behind and exploring the world we live in.........
Whether it's practical or not there will always be enough people that will press the issue to further explore  | |
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| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/6/2007 2:20:04 AM | It was never necessary, but it's a good thing. To all those who say "they should spend the money to fix the problems down here..."
What are the odds thats what the money is going to be used for? Instead of military spending or hookers and blow. | |
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grog27
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Joined: 2/25/2005
Msg: 25 | |
| Is space exploration still necessary??
Posted: 7/6/2007 3:00:19 AM | "To all those who say "they should spend the money to fix the problems down here..."
What are the odds thats what the money is going to be used for? Instead of military spending or hookers and blow."
Exactly!
However, it would be nice if more of the financial load were to be taken up by the private sector. At least some advances are being made in this direction, with the competition for the "X Prize" and such. Sure, it's more geared towards space "tourism" rather than actual exploration, but anything that gets people out there will naturally tend to stimulate more interest.
Frankly, I'd be very surprised if the majority of people on here said they'd never had a desire to go into space or to the moon. Honestly, who HASN'T, at one time or another, thought of doing that? | |
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