The Space Program

**korndawg** · 07-21-2009, 01:40 AM

Is it me, or is space exploration a giant waste of money? Maybe I'm close-minded or not seeing the whole picture, but going to the moon and researching other planets just seems to be a waste of billions and billions of dollars. I can understand exploring space for the placing of satellites but to explore planets that can never be inhibited by humans is kinda dumb. Now theres talk of going back to the moon by 2020. Why may I ask?

**Smkn_TA** · 07-21-2009, 05:03 AM

The earth is finite in size. Population keeps expanding. The moon might be where we set up a settlement first. Close to home and easy to supply. It's not what he have found, it's what we COULD find. There is no telling what we might uncover out there. Maybe some planet that is totally inhabitable like jupiter will contain some new super efficient fuel. You never know, that is the thing.

And what if there is some alien species just watching us, waiting for us to evolve to a certain point of space readiness before they reveal themselves and share with us super sexy alien women with three boobs. You can't unproove it.

**bamaz28** · 07-21-2009, 06:40 AM

waste of time and money IMO, maybe a hundred years from now we will have the technology to live their. i dont see the point, what have we gained in the past? we beat the russians and everybody else there what are we trying to prove?

***SMWS6TA*** · 07-21-2009, 06:45 AM

We go there for Tang!

**bamaz28** · 07-21-2009, 06:48 AM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

We go there for Tang!

**Spaz** · 07-21-2009, 06:51 AM

Originally Posted by bamaz28

waste of time and money IMO, maybe a hundred years from now we will have the technology to live their. i dont see the point, what have we gained in the past? we beat the russians and everybody else there what are we trying to prove?

well... our own ocean has shown us that certail life forms live in what we had thought to be uninhabitable areas... if we didn't explore there we would still think that life could not exsist there due to the extreme environment... the possabilities of extracting materials form space is awesome... we could save millions of acres of land by getting them off a dead planet...

**Aetos** · 07-21-2009, 06:58 AM

Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

**third_shift|studios** · 07-21-2009, 06:59 AM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

We go there for Tang!

eF you! i drink tang like it's water

**SINISTER-TA** · 07-21-2009, 07:26 AM

I don't think it's worth wasting money on especially durring these economic times. The money could be used more wisely in my opinion.

**JerseyLS1** · 07-21-2009, 07:33 AM

yes, ham is more important than space!
http://www.inquisitr.com/29647/million-dollar-ham/

**bamaz28** · 07-21-2009, 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by Spaz

well... our own ocean has shown us that certail life forms live in what we had thought to be uninhabitable areas... if we didn't explore there we would still think that life could not exsist there due to the extreme environment... the possabilities of extracting materials form space is awesome... we could save millions of acres of land by getting them off a dead planet...

AH you make good point, but sea exploration is cheaper than space. we should stick to sea then right ?

***SMWS6TA*** · 07-21-2009, 08:02 AM

Originally Posted by JerseyLS1

yes, ham is more important than space!
http://www.inquisitr.com/29647/million-dollar-ham/

For some reason you post made me think of this:

**Spaz** · 07-21-2009, 08:05 AM

here is something else... the largest known star (vy canis majoris) and our suns size comparison... earth doens't even exsist on this scale...

***SMWS6TA*** · 07-21-2009, 08:13 AM

Space research has given us:

Long range communications
Heating and cooling systems
Advance computers
Solar cells
Microwaves
Processing food for long term storage
Advance the quality of building materials - Aluminum (like in our LSX engines)

Also a hell of a lot more, much more then I could list...

When you quit exploring for knowledge you are doom for extinction!

**67CamaroRSSS** · 07-21-2009, 09:31 AM

Also, the vast majority of the medical stuff you see and/or use every day was courtesy of the space program. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) was created for the space program so they could better examine astronauts after exposure to space. Now it's in common use.

This is just 1 of the many items that are a product of space exploration.

So tell me (korndawg and/or bamaZ28), what else has the govt invested in that has had a better return? Also, what would you have the money be spent on?

**wheeliE-maxx** · 07-21-2009, 09:45 AM

The space program came out with alot of helpful new technology in its beginnings. Now, not so much

**allbaugh_04** · 07-21-2009, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by SMWS6TA

Space research has given us:

Long range communications
Heating and cooling systems
Advance computers
Solar cells
Microwaves
Processing food for long term storage
Advance the quality of building materials - Aluminum (like in our LSX engines)

Also a hell of a lot more, much more then I could list...

When you quit exploring for knowledge you are doom for extinction!

OMG, please stop making stuff up...

Long range communication was used before space exploration. Microwave radiation was discovered in WWII when radar was being used and heated up an object from the inside out. Food used for long term storage was more around the WWII stage as well. I'm sure a lot of building materials are unique on the shuttle and such, but making and using vehicles were perfected during the wars and thats where it really took off. After WWII we made the interstates...

I was actually just thinking about this. I am not against the space program at all, but it would be the first place I would look at this time. They need to cut some funding here, billions upon billions are being spent on the space program at a time where we cannot afford it. This is not the only place we need to cut funding, i don't wanna get into that.

**666ws6** · 07-21-2009, 09:57 AM

I think it's all about being poised for the future. The mere quest for new challenges brings us new technnologies... and if we cut back and quit trying to expand... we'll fall behind and be surpassed.

I'm not sure about the push to go back to the moon though. Maybe there is a better goal out there, even though it's more about the journey.

If we make it there in 2020, it'll put an end to the conspiracy debate of landing on the moon in 1969?

**cammed goat** · 07-21-2009, 10:03 AM

Originally Posted by Aetos

Space... the Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

And WHY am I thinking of the training scenes from "Armageddon" right now?

**Spaz** · 07-21-2009, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by 666ws6

I think it's all about being poised for the future. The mere quest for new challenges brings us new technnologies... and if we cut back and quit trying to expand... we'll fall behind and be surpassed.

I'm not sure about the push to go back to the moon though. Maybe there is a better goal out there, even though it's more about the journey.

If we make it there in 2020, it'll put an end to the conspiracy debate of landing on the moon in 1969?

the object of getting us back on the moon is to use it as a primary point to launch for mars... there is a LARGE amount of rust on mars that we use for coloring stuff like paint, cement, brick etc etc... there is too much to type on this subject alone...