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This came to mind when there was a congressional hearing about chemically contaminated water all across our country and one of the excuses for not doing something was lack of funds.
With an approximate $19 Billion budgeted for NASA this year my question is "Is space exploration a worthwhile venture?"
Understanding an inherent quest for knowledge, what other practical purpose is there for knowing about what's out there?
Does it matter if Planet X exists or not?
Does knowing whether or not that 'thing' shining up there in the night sky is a star or a planet have any effect on our life here on earth?
I don't even know how much other countries spend but concentrating just on the USA, should that money be spent elsewhere or do you have reasons for thinking it's worth it?
There are some that believe we already have a force in space, and this where alot of this money and black budget money goes, but the public is kept in the dark about that for good reason.
If you recall a few years back, UK hacker Gary McKinnon hacked into NASA and some other agencies and found evidence of this space force.
This sounds outlandish to me, but I do wonder what all the deep dark SAPs have been doing for the past 30+ yrs, doesnt seem like anything truly groundbreaking has been unveiled in some time, but they have been pouring trillions of dollars into something for many many years???
There are some that believe we already have a force in space, and this where alot of this money and black budget money goes, but the public is kept in the dark about that for good reason.
If you recall a few years back, UK hacker Gary McKinnon hacked into NASA and some other agencies and found evidence of this space force.
This sounds outlandish to me, but I do wonder what all the deep dark SAPs have been doing for the past 30+ yrs, doesnt seem like anything truly groundbreaking has been unveiled in some time, but they have been pouring trillions of dollars into something for many many years???
I don't know. Our government is neck deep in some next level shady s--t, and it has been for longer than I've been alive. So nothing anyone uncovered could surprise me.
I don't know. Our government is neck deep in some next level shady s--t, and it has been for longer than I've been alive. So nothing anyone uncovered could surprise me.
Yes, the CIA even publicly admits they used UFOs back in the 1950s and 60s to disguise secret aircraft they were working on, something tells me the same thing is probably happening today too, and all these strange looking aircraft people report as UFOs, that can hover, operate totally silent, and cloak themselves, are probably next gen military aircraft going thru R&D.
NASA does a lot of activities besides spaceflight, and a lot of their research benefits society immensely.
Rocket and aircraft technology has improved considerably thanks to NASA research - public money lets someone tinker with, say, the best way to design a throttleable rocket engine fuel injector without having to show an immediate ROI. Better rocket engines means cheaper satellites means better weather forecasts, more precise GPS, satellite phones and emergency beacons the size of a packet of cigarettes.
Aerodynamic research means more effective aircraft, better fuel economy. It is worthwhile.
Sadly, actual space exploration is a small part of the budget.
That being said, NASA lost its way during the Shuttle years. In retrospect, that thing absorbed too much money for what it could do - it was a Swiss Army Knife that did a ton of things, but none of them very well.
Yes, the CIA even publicly admits they used UFOs back in the 1950s and 60s to disguise secret aircraft they were working on, something tells me the same thing is probably happening today too, and all these strange looking aircraft people report as UFOs, that can hover, operate totally silent, and cloak themselves, are probably next gen military aircraft going thru R&D.
You're probably right. I'm pretty sure they have a lot of crazy things well never know about until we see it, or info about it slips out somewhere.
You're probably right. I'm pretty sure they have a lot of crazy things well never know about until we see it, or info about it slips out somewhere.
Not NASA, they're too science-y and, at times, almost hippie-like. Senior JPL staff offered to quit en masse rather than submit to random drug testing - and won. ("Not peeing in a jar would cost my job? Sure, you find someone else to drive the Mars Rover. Care to rethink?") They couldn't sit on a juicy secret.
NASA does a lot of activities besides spaceflight, and a lot of their research benefits society immensely.
Rocket and aircraft technology has improved considerably thanks to NASA research - public money lets someone tinker with, say, the best way to design a throttleable rocket engine fuel injector without having to show an immediate ROI. Better rocket engines means cheaper satellites means better weather forecasts, more precise GPS, satellite phones and emergency beacons the size of a packet of cigarettes.
Aerodynamic research means more effective aircraft, better fuel economy. It is worthwhile.
Sadly, actual space exploration is a small part of the budget.
That being said, NASA lost its way during the Shuttle years. In retrospect, that thing absorbed too much money for what it could do - it was a Swiss Army Knife that did a ton of things, but none of them very well.
I'd like to see more space exploration. I agree, it's definitely worthwhile.
Sorta off topic:
I play Kerbal Space Program, it's a fun game, but pretty hard. I've managed to achieve manned orbit, but unfortunately I haven't figured out how to get them back home yet lol.
I'd like to see more space exploration. I agree, it's definitely worthwhile.
Sorta off topic:
I play Kerbal Space Program, it's a fun game, but pretty hard. I've managed to achieve manned orbit, but unfortunately I haven't figured out how to get them back home yet lol.
Really? I've burned some hours in KSP, too.
Deorbit isn't that hard - fire in retrograde until your periapsis is in the 50000m range, keep your capsule orientation so the heatshield is facing the direction of travel, and let the atmosphere reduce your speed. Once the parachute icon turns green, pop the chute and turn off SAS, then watch as the capsule lands gently (or splashes down). Click on recover vehicle, and presto.
I have stranded Jeb on the Mun. Landing directly on the ascent engines wasn't a smart idea...
This came to mind when there was a congressional hearing about chemically contaminated water all across our country and one of the excuses for not doing something was lack of funds.
With an approximate $19 Billion budgeted for NASA this year my question is "Is space exploration a worthwhile venture?"
Understanding an inherent quest for knowledge, what other practical purpose is there for knowing about what's out there?
...
Yah. there are always excuses for not doing what's required. US infrastructure spending - maintenance - has been delayed & cut back, as inessential, in these days of shrinking budgets. Nonsense, of course. Roads & bridges, utilities, comms, water & sewage are important. You can't lead a civilized life without making those arrangements.
Space research has tangible results in national defense, comms, technology & engineering, materials science, electronics, microelectronics, & on & on. Unlike most other spending, space tech actually spins off money to the US budget - see https://www.universetoday.com/31470/...n-nasas-budget
"The most often-used argument against space exploration is that we should use that money to alleviate problems here on Earth. But that argument fails to realize that NASA doesn’t just pack millions of dollar bills into a rocket and blast them into space. The money NASA uses creates jobs, providing an opportunity for some of the world’s brightest minds to use their talents to, yes, actually benefit humanity. NASA’s exploration spurs inventions that we use everyday, many which save lives and improve the quality of life. Plus, we’re expanding our horizons and feeding our curiosity, while learning so, so much and attempting to answer really big questions about ourselves and the cosmos.
...
"NASA’s annual budget for fiscal year 2009 is $17.2 billion. The proposed budget for FY 2010 would raise it to about $18.7 billion. That sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but let’s put it in perspective. The US annual budget is almost $3 trillion and NASA’s cut of the US budget is less than 1%, which isn’t big enough to create even a single line on this pie chart.
...
"Former NASA administrator Mike Griffin mentioned recently that US consumers spend more on pizza ($27 billion) than NASA’s budget. (Head nod to Ian O’Neill)
"Miles O’Brien recently brought it to our attention that the amount of money Bernie Maddof scammed with his Ponzi scheme ($50 billion) is way bigger than NASA’s budget.
"Americans spend a lot of money on some pretty ridiculous things. Returning to that oft-used phrase about spending the money used in space to solve the problems on Earth, consider this: *
"Annually, Americans spend about $88.8 billion on tobacco products and another $97 billion on alcohol. $313 billion is spent each year in America for treatment of tobacco and alcohol related medical problems.
"Likewise, people in the US spend about $64 billion on illegal drugs, and $114.2 billion for health-related care of drug use.
"Americans also spend $586.5 billion a year on gambling."
(My emphasis - more @ the URL)
Exploration is worthwhile, in & of itself. There are science & technology & defense & economic benefits as well - or would you really trust the CIS, China, N. Korea with weapons platforms in orbit around Earth?
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All things are not equal
