Is space exploration worth the cost?

[snipaw26]

America is spending billions on space exploration. What are we getting for our money? Without "warp speed" we won't make it very far.

[FattyJJ]

I look at it this way.


NASA's budget for its life time is about equal to our defense budget per year. With that money, we have put men on the moon, rovers on Mars, and spacecraft beyond our galaxy. All in about 40-50 years. If NASA got half the defense budget, they might have figured out light speed by now.

Science should trump military, in my perfect world.

I think that the private sector is going to do wonders for progress though.

[CD]

Definitely worth the money considering how quickly we are ruining this planet.

[joerockhead]

Yes, Space Exploration is extremely important!

[ravenshrike]

If NASA got half the Medicare budget, they might have figured out light speed by now.

Science should trump military, in my perfect world.

I think that the private sector is going to do wonders for progress though.
If you knew anything about technological advancement you'd know that military R&D has caused most of human advancement in history. Even the fucking intertubes were based off a strictly .mil project.

Hell, NASA IS a fucking military project.

[snipaw26]

Is the international space station for military purposes then? Or is a research lab?

[Krasch]

Is the international space station for military purposes then? Or is a research lab?
That's assuming the two are mutually exclusive, which they are not necessarily.

As for someone saying we've sent "spaceships outside our galaxy", the judges have conferred and we're going to have to take back that $800 for that question. Outside our SOLAR SYSTEM? Yes. Outside the GALAXY? Not even close.

[Juan.Camaney]

Every time you use wd-40, and exotic alloys in your every day life, thank the space program.

[Wilken]

Definitely worth the money considering how quickly we are ruining this planet.

Agreed.

[ravenshrike]

Is the international space station for military purposes then? Or is a research lab?
The ISS is not NASA. The ISS is a space station funded by multiple .govs and manned by NASA crew as well as various other nationalities. And yes, the military occasionally boots an experiment up there. More often, they fund companies doing the experiments through stuff like DARPA.

[skept]

Its true that during wartime we get the most progress... economies are booming and you need to create new weapons of death and destruction.

In my opinion, space exploration is worth while, as some action is better then no action.

[snipaw26]

I guess what I am asking is that realistically we aren't going to get much past Mars unless we discover a better propulsion method. So should we continue to explore space since we are so limited. Is it realistic to say we are going to set up a colony on the Moon or on Mars?

[CD]

I guess what I am asking is that realistically we aren't going to get much past Mars unless we discover a better propulsion method. So should we continue to explore space since we are so limited. Is it realistic to say we are going to set up a colony on the Moon or on Mars?
Right now it isn't realistic to expect a colony on the Moon or Mars, but that's just today. Keep in mind how far we've come over the last 100 years (cars, planes, computers, communication, etc...). I'd be willing to bet that your children or grandchildren will see a colony on Mars or the Moon... or both.

Most people try to think short term, but to deny NASA is to deny the future. Don't be THAT guy.

[onlyalad]

I think that we will see a space lab on the moon and then on Mars. The problem is profit or lack thereof. Once there can be a way for private enterprise to make money by going to Mars we will see advancement. In the 60s national pride was the driving force. Today money is the only driving force for large scale projects. If Virgin and Marriott could put a "hotel" on Mars they would find a way to sell it to the Lance Basses of the world.

[FattyJJ]

If you knew anything about technological advancement you'd know that military R&D has caused most of human advancement in history. Even the fucking intertubes were based off a strictly .mil project.

Hell, NASA IS a fucking military project.

wow, what a dick thing to say......... Please dont assume you have any clue as to what I know or dont.

The fact remains that they dont get the budget the military does. And who's to say those "advances" wouldnt have come from exploring space? Only no one would have to kill anyone to make them.

Krasch, thanks for correcting me, got my terms mixed up.

[Krasch]

wow, what a dick thing to say......... Please dont assume you have any clue as to what I know or dont.

The fact remains that they dont get the budget the military does. And who's to say those "advances" wouldnt have come from exploring space? Only no one would have to kill anyone to make them.

Krasch, thanks for correcting me, got my terms mixed up.
lol, no problem...

[snipaw26]

I saw some episodes of "The Universe" over the weekends. I didn't know that the Russian Cosmonauts carried a 12 gauge shotgun with them in the capsule since the '60s. In addition, a payload specialist on a shuttle mission talked of committing suicide by walking out the airlock when his experiment failed in orbit causing his crew mates to guard the airlock for the duration of the mission.

[supersatch]

I look at it this way.


NASA's budget for its life time is about equal to our defense budget per year. With that money, we have put men on the moon, rovers on Mars, and spacecraft beyond our galaxy. All in about 40-50 years. If NASA got half the defense budget, they might have figured out light speed by now.

Science should trump military, in my perfect world.

I think that the private sector is going to do wonders for progress though.

The Voyager probe that exited our solar system was only supposed to send back pics of Saturn and Jupiter. It continued to send back pics past it's target so NASA just extended the project. It continues to this day. Basically they're just waiting for it to quit.

Thank god microsoft wasn't around to program it, or it wouldn't have made it to the moon!

[shiiboi]

I guess what I am asking is that realistically we aren't going to get much past Mars unless we discover a better propulsion method. So should we continue to explore space since we are so limited. Is it realistic to say we are going to set up a colony on the Moon or on Mars?
I believe that a continually-manned base will be set up on the moon (akin to the camps in antarctica) eventually. The technology is there, just not the motivation yet. Manned missions beyond mars seem unlikely, because you'd have to carry years of food, water and other life support supplies with you.