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If we don't explore, we will be behind the Chinese, Indians, Russians, etc. Then great minds of the world won't come to the USA to work. Then USA will be a third world countries. You children will beg other countries for job and food.
I'd rather have it spent on that than supporting druggies and leftists. Or 90% of the crap we waste tax money on now.
Besides, at some point that will give any group who believes in liberty (or any specific social philosophy), if they haven't all been exterminated by then, the means to rocket off into the expanse of space to find some far-away, lonely, uninhabited habitable planet where leftists, authoritarian collectivists, wokes, etc, can be eternally banned. As it is now, we are trapped with no place to run or hide.
I suspect that when we finally do develop the ability to travel through space, the means to do so will look nothing like the technology we are now developing or the technology alluded to in Hollywood. I'm sure it will be via a process that we have not yet discovered or could even understand at this point. I doubt it will be with any tech we now possess or are developing.
People who are born without a high curiosity factor will never understand these things. The Webb Telescope will be an uninteresting waste of money and they won't be interested in exactly where it is in space or what it might do. The moon will remain a clump of uninteresting rock and dust.
No matter. The people with a high curiosity factor will take the lead and not only develop new ways to explore the solar system, but invent new ways to operate on sick humans, fertilize plants, generate power and on and on.
In the end, though, it won't matter much. Human population will begin to decline in numbers soon. I don't think there will be any significant trips to the moon in the future, although a footprint or two may be left. Mars will be left unvisited.
People who are born without a high curiosity factor will never understand these things. The Webb Telescope will be an uninteresting waste of money and they won't be interested in exactly where it is in space or what it might do. The moon will remain a clump of uninteresting rock and dust.
No matter. The people with a high curiosity factor will take the lead and not only develop new ways to explore the solar system, but invent new ways to operate on sick humans, fertilize plants, generate power and on and on.
In the end, though, it won't matter much. Human population will begin to decline in numbers soon. I don't think there will be any significant trips to the moon in the future, although a footprint or two may be left. Mars will be left unvisited.
I think the 3 billionaires just might make it happen. Who says governments have to be the driver of innovation and exploration?
The rationale for the race to the moon was national defense, not space exploration. When the Russians launched Sputnik in 1957 it demonstrated the edge that they had in rocket research. That obviously had major implications for national defense. JFK’s call to “put a man on the moon in this decade and return him safely to the earth” was a way to focus the public’s attention on a goal.
If you want to count the benefits we reaped indirectly from spending on the space program, think of the advances in computers, communications and global positioning satellites.
The rationale for the race to the moon was national defense, not space exploration. When the Russians launched Sputnik in 1957 it demonstrated the edge that they had in rocket research. That obviously had major implications for national defense. JFK’s call to “put a man on the moon in this decade and return him safely to the earth” was a way to focus the public’s attention on a goal.
If you want to count the benefits we reaped indirectly from spending on the space program, think of the advances in computers, communications and global positioning satellites.
Not to mention bar codes, making it easy to scan our purchases at the self-checkout!
The amount of tax payer dollars going into this endeavor is mind boggling. I mean, really. And for what? It’s a damm planet “close” to earth and just there. Nothing there you can’t find walking on the side of the road. Dirt, sand, rocks.
Personally, I hope the rocket explodes on the pad this month. The money has already been spent. Might as well get a decent light show out of it.
Yet, spend spend.
In terms of the federal budget, it's a pretty minor amount. The entire NASA budget is less than 0.5% of the Federal Budget. I think people tend to overestimate the NASA outlay. Also, unlike many government programs, NASA tends to generate economic benefits for the country. As for returning to the Moon, there are plenty of scientific reasons to do so, and potentially economic reasons as well. Finally, there's a prestige factor, which shouldn't be underestimated.
I think the 3 billionaires just might make it happen. Who says governments have to be the driver of innovation and exploration?
No one has been to the moon in 50 years - no one from any country. The billionaires will carry tourists here and there, but moon?.... No, I don't think so. Mars?.... I'd bet against it.
Innovation and exploration is what James Webb Telescope is all about. It was done for $10B - and that's a 1-way trip with no people! I can only imagine the expense of a manned round-trip.
There will always be exploration and innovation. I just don't think it will include people visiting moon and Mars.
Let NASA do its thing. Much better spending on that then most government ideas. We have learned a lot over the years from NASA. Not just about space but also advancements in technology which would have never happened if not for NASA.
Now go mix up a glass of Tang! LOL!!!
People do not understand all the advances that have happened because of space flight. Lunar missions leading to a lunar base is progress worth paying for. The moon can obviously be used as a jump off point to other places in the solar system.
If we do not do this we will see China do it instead....not something anyone should want. We need to maintain our technical edge.
There's not a whole lot left to explore on our little globe.
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