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Brundlefly
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United States
Nov 2001
time: 00:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Spiffor
Yours hasn't.
Your great-grandchildren's might. Titan looks like it is chock-full of interesting raw materials that could eventually be mined without affecting the earth's environment. |
And we will be able to mine those resources, what, - 150, 200, 300 years from now? By then we will have a major resource crisis on Earth. This crisis will be resolved one of two ways: Either we develop alternate forms of energy or wars break out over control of the world's resources (like the current US intervention in Iraq, but on a larger scale). So, better to spend that space research money on development of alternate forms of energy, yes?
quote:
A few. Space science of this kind makes for a third of NASA's budget, and NASA has dozens of projects included in this budgetary field. If you want to whine about a waste of money, look at the Space shuttle (5 billions a year), or better yet, look at the pork and corporate welfare (untold amount of billions a year), or look at the war in Iraq (how many billions did it cost yet? 180 or something like that?  ) |
I'm with you on this. I'm whining about that stuff, too!
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Spiffor
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CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Nov 2001
time: 06:20
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quote:
Originally posted by bfg9000
And we will be able to mine those resources, what, - 150, 200, 300 years from now? |
Actually, depending on the research effort, it could technologically be done much sooner. We have the ability to safely travel such distances, and we are making quick progresses about automation. The main problem is with the launches, which cost a fortune (launches are the main reason why Space science is expansive btw: if we had cheaper launch technology, space science would cost very little).
If launches were cheap, space-bound mining would be a viable solution, for which technological solutions would be found fairly quickly (decades, rather than centuries)
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Spiffor
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CPA - Evil Clone brigade
Nov 2001
time: 06:20
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quote:
Originally posted by C0ckney
bfg, you're on a gaming forum, it's going to be packed with geeks who can think of no better thing to spend money on than stuff like this.  |
Not quite. I think that space science is worth the expense, like many other expanses. Like many scientific fields, space science could actually do with more money (and a more efficient use of it as well).
BFG seems to think that every cent that goes to space science is a cent wasted. It's pretty funny to read that on the satellite-supported Internet.
Not every cent spent on space science is a cent wasted. Just like not every pound paid by the British king to Newton was a pound wasted (this particular king never saw his money back, but without the pure academic research by the likes of Newton, we still wouldn't have planes in today's world).
Science deserves funding, for it creates the conditions of a better life for the future generations. Nowadays, with our cell phones, with our planes, with our electricity, we benefit from the effort made by our forefathers. I don't see why we should stop our efforts now.
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C0ckney
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Big Up The Macedonian Massive
Apr 2000
time: 05:20
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i've got nothing against science, and it ain't my money being spent here so i don't mind. generally though i'd say that there are better uses for money, other scientific uses certainly, than looking for lakes on far off moons.
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Brundlefly
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United States
Nov 2001
time: 00:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Spiffor
Science deserves funding, for it creates the conditions of a better life for the future generations. Nowadays, with our cell phones, with our planes, with our electricity, we benefit from the effort made by our forefathers. I don't see why we should stop our efforts now. |
Because education, assistance to the poor, and research on alternate energy sources are just a few of the more urgent issues society faces which are not sufficiently funded.
Newton? You prove my point then. Newton, to use your example, could not have made his mark in history without sufficient education. Education is insufficiently funded in this country. Sponsoring the academic work of a Newton is not the same as sponsoring a trip to a distant planet to take some photographs.. I doubt if any of Newton's experiments cost the government hundreds of millions of dollars like this trip to Titan has. What exactly is the ROI of this trip to Titan? I would love to know why the government signed off on this project. I'll bet it is because it enabled some defense contractors to get some work..
Why does US have to be leader of space research intitiatives anyway? If these excursions to distant planets really must be done, I would welcome more international involvement and cooperation with financing them.
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C0ckney
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Big Up The Macedonian Massive
Apr 2000
time: 05:20
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quote:
Originally posted by Japher
That is a very narrow minded view.
Space exploration, on the surface, may appear to be impractical, but it is far from it. Without the space programs efforts to reach out to distant planets, stars, and even asteroids we would miss out on a lot of inventions that otherwise would not exist (assuming, of course, that necessity is the mother of invention). |
i'm gonna stick my neck out here and say that taking a few photos of some distant moon isn't going to do much as far as 'new inventions' are concerned.
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Lancer
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Oregon Coast, USA! or Bohol, Philippines!
Apr 1999
time: 05:20
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There's a whole big bloody wonderful universe out there, and here we are.
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29-06-2005 17:02
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