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Why are the Americans and others obsessed with this grotesque waste of money.
Ive been alive and seen Yuri be the first man in space, Armstrong and his chums get to moon first and now Pluto photographed in detail.
Ive heard the argument as to how it helps us broaden our understanding of the universe and, frankly,believe it utterly irrelevant for most people as they traverse their lives on this planet.
The billions spent, has always been grotesque, now more so .
It beggars belief as to what better uses the money effort and time could be spent on.
The only large group of people I can see disagreeing with space exploration would be religious crazies. Who believe a god created everything just over 2000 years ago.
The majority siding with scientific progress on a football site, if we go by the stereotype of the average football fan, would mean you're gonna be outnumbered by most people in most places...
If you want people to side with you on this, then go to a creationist forum.
Here is a figure I found from CNN. (I know its from 2012 but can't find a later one at the moment.)
"In 2012, NASA was allocated $18.7 billion(PDF) from the federal government (less than 1% of the entire U.S. budget) for further research and exploration. $3.8 billion of that will go specifically to space exploration. By comparison, the Department of Defense got $670 billion and another $69.8 billion went to education."
Africa corrupt? Yep, but that s not the primary reason IMO.
India nuclear stop? Agreed.
China too ,loads in poverty, real poverty .
Millions of man hours have been spent on seeking out other systems that cannot sustain human life.
Back on earth, we cannot cure cancer for all, Alzheimer's, motor neurone, Parkinson's, the list is endless. Why, answer me, is America spending money of this nature when it's own people suffer Thermal blankets, enhanced baby food, we can do without much of that apeshit list
Kennedy s main motivation for initial space travel was to counter and beat the soviet efforts whose people were also destitute in many cities.
Millions of man hours have been spent on the pursuit of knowledge and understanding the universe that we live in which, as has already been mentioned in this thread, has resulted in numerous beneficial technological advancements.
Also, how would stopping the funding for space exploration help to cure cancers or neurological diseases? Would all of the astrophysicists and engineers working for NASA or ESA suddenly become experts in a totally unrelated field and halve the time it would take discover a cure?
Perhaps you would like to suggest a list of things that should or shouldn't receive funding?
If man evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys?
The moral argument for space exploitation hasnt been made out ,it cant be but please don't let anyone tell me that it was for some other reason than a nation s self aggrandisement during the Cold War.
Other replies a little facetious.
Its not that easy to have a debate on this site with personal digs; its full of them so I ll close this now.
Your opinions are simply that and nothing else.
In concluding however, I will say there s still a gang culture on here ,pretty evident really.
The moral argument for space exploitation hasnt been made out ,it cant be but please don't let anyone tell me that it was for some other reason than a nation s self aggrandisement during the Cold War.
Other replies a little facetious.
Its not that easy to have a debate on this site with personal digs; its full of them so I ll close this now.
Your opinions are simply that and nothing else.
In concluding however, I will say there s still a gang culture on here ,pretty evident really.
Fin
The Cold War ended over 25 years and the 'Space Race' ended almost half a century ago what do they have to do with the morality(??) of current space exploration?
If man evolved from monkeys why do we still have monkeys?
Why did Columbus cross the ocean? Why did Hillary climb Everest? Why has Sir Ranulph Fiennes got about three fingers left?
It's because we're humans. We explore, we expand, we consume.
Ever since my son was... never conceived, because I've never had consensual sex without money involved... I've always kind of looked at you as... a thing, that I could live next to... in accordance with state laws.
Why did Columbus cross the ocean? Why did Hillary climb Everest? Why has Sir Ranulph Fiennes got about three fingers left?
It's because we're humans. We explore, we expand, we consume.
This sums it up for me.
We go to space because it's there to be explored. It's what humans do. It's what humans have always done.
In 1959, JFK decided human beings would go to the moon. 10 years later, they did.
Several years ago, we decided to find out what Pluto looked like. Now we know.
We've also learnt a ton of stuff on the way. And we've got a whole bunch of new mysteries to solve like how Pluto has had recent (<100m years) geological events - in a place where our past knowledge of physics suggested it wouldn't happen.
We go to space because it's there to be explored. It's what humans do. It's what humans have always done.
In 1959, JFK decided human beings would go to the moon. 10 years later, they did.
Several years ago, we decided to find out what Pluto looked like. Now we know.
We've also learnt a ton of stuff on the way. And we've got a whole bunch of new mysteries to solve like how Pluto has had recent (<100m years) geological events - in a place where our past knowledge of physics suggested it wouldn't happen.
For every £1 invested into research a multiple is returned to the economy, I'm not sure of how much but if you were to check the website of the STFC (science and technology facilities council - who I used to work for) or the UKSA (UK space agency) they will have figures somewhere. RE: curing the common cold, no need as you're body becomes immune after getting the cold once, there are just many strains. With cancer a cure for one is not necessarily a cure for the multitude of other forms of cancer one can develop. I don't believe for a second that big pharma are holding back cures.
Pharmaceutical companies are profit driven machines, there is more money in treatment than in a cure. You really think that something as common as a simple cold can't be cured? Selling medicines to ease a cold generates more revenue than curing it. The same can be said about most killer diseases. HIV treatment is unbelievably expensive to buy and yet sufferers are now living nearly full lives, that's quite a cash cow you wouldn't want to lose.
Someone mentioned trident, that's all smoke and mirrors in my opinion.
[Post edited 16 Jul 2015 14:22]
The common cold virus line is far from simple, at least do basic research before putting your foil hat on
Comparing money spent on space travel to what the world needs is the same level of thinking as telling your kids to eat their food cos there's starving Africans. Most kids have the common sense to see the fallacy pretty quickly
we aren’t interested in space we are interested in the money to be made from harvesting the oil water an mining rights of possibly an entire planet .............all entirely paid for by the taxpayer just my view for what its worth .
Once you beat a cold, you're immune to it. The problem is there are at least 200 variants. One more benefit of breast feeding is that antibodies from every cold the mother has had are passed to the infant.
[Post edited 17 Jul 2015 0:19]
Ever since my son was... never conceived, because I've never had consensual sex without money involved... I've always kind of looked at you as... a thing, that I could live next to... in accordance with state laws.
that would be overwhelming on this site jacksomething.
Sadly , this is no true guide.
Even if it were, it doesn't make it right or wrong.
It was only a matter of time before you saw me and piped up with your usual indignation.
I m out tonight and I ll try it out then and report back to you.
Don't talk sh*t and I won't point it out. Simple. Also, please stop whining about gang culture and being unable to have a debate when posters line up to make your opinions look like the uninformed nonsense they frequently are.
Oh and I know it's only this site, that's why I used the word sample.
[Post edited 17 Jul 2015 0:23]
You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don't help.
Seeing as you mentioned me Perch I'll tell you what I think.
Why do humans want to explore and learn? Because we're humans.
The human brain is the most complex object so far discovered in this universe. We seem to have a drive in us to learn more and more and more. I think it's this genetic trait that's made us as clever as we are. And believe me, we may be very stupid and violent in some ways, but humans are incredibly intelligent. The only things in the universe we've encountered so far that actually understands the universe they live in, down to the most basic subatomic detail to the very, very large things, like what the universe is actually like. I do realise we have a lot more to learn about both.
Apparently this mission cost the US $700M. Small coal in the great scheme of things.
And whilst I agree that humans could spend that money to do great things like cure cancer etc. I think there's lot's of budgets that could be cut before you cut the budget for learning.
The last World Cup cost $11.6 billion apparently.
That's my thoughts on it anyway. I'm sure there a people more intelligent than me who would tell me I'm talking bollocks, and they're probably right. But f*ck 'em.
We're human. We want to look over the next hill. We want to sail the next ocean to see what's there. We want to wonder about the black stuff above us above us with the twinkly bits.
And it makes us better as a species. That's why we do it.
Secure doing a pretty good job at screwing up this planet, still torturing animals in the process and in same cases wiping out another species entirely.
We have charitable contributions to research into diseases that kill us. We ask for contributions because of lack of money.
We do spend money on matters utterly grotesque, Africa is simply an example.
Mankind has an arrogance alright so vivid it blinds him.
Sorry, but none of you has convinced me of the need to send a spacecraft to Pluto.
The CAT scanner - direct result of technology developed for space exploration - now used in treatment of Cancer. They are still trying to develop a cure for thick chunt though.
Joe_bradshaw -I thought the cryochamber was the new name for Cardiff's stadium.
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