Instead of investing billions of dollars exploring the vastness of space getting pretty much no where we should use that money exploring the depths of our own planet. there is so much we dont know about what lurks at the bottom of our oceans. shit there could be intelligence down there for all we know. every day scientists are discovering new species of marine life. interesting shit
some people would say life on earth would be nonexistant if it werent for the unkowns and mysteries of outerspace and the universe
To say that we are "getting nowhere" in space exploration is just plain wrong, in fact, thats where most of the greatest discoveries are made. There is NOTHING more important to the human civilization than exploring space.
Nothing to show for it? So all of the discoveries we've made through space exploration amounts to absoluetly nothing in your opinion, is that correct? What exactly are you looking for that hasnt been provided through space exploration, besides the discovery of alien life?
False dichotomy. It is not space vs deep-sea exploration. Just as it isn't space vs world hunger or what have you. Space exploration and related sciences use very little funds when compared to say, military spending, religion (not to mention tax breaks for religious activity), advertising, soft drinks. I could continue. We use a lot of money and resources on very silly things. Space exploration and research isn't one of them. Space exploration is important. Maybe the most important avenue of research we've ever put our efforts into. And it affects all aspects of human modern society. The spin-offs from space research are too many to mention, and the actual and potential benefits too great to put in a meaningful perspective.
Well, if you believe Stephen Hawking, we will one day have to leave Earth. I believe some research would be in order before we did this.
and give it some time, jeez its only been 60 years since we first were able to send things out into space. I would call the Space Station as "something to show". its full of problems but it stays in orbit and keeps people alive. but I agree, I'd like to see more sea exploration as well. Space exploration forwards our knowledge of physics, while sea exploration will have the most impact in biology. Both are critical for our extended existance. down with defense spending, up with education spending!
I'm not sure why the hazards of space travel and the general unpredictability of the universe would be any more kind to human beings than our own sweet Mother Earth. Maybe if we had more respect for the planet and controlled our numbers we wouldn't even need to consider space colonization as a survival option. IMHO our potential is boundless and we should explore most avenues of knowledge but not at the expense of the natural world. Maybe it's too late for us to save our precious home, in which case getting the fuck out of here may be the best option, but I wonder though; what sort of people will we be sending out into the glorious heavens? People that greedily consume and destroy for their own ends or people that have looked into themselves and developed a true respect for all life? If we were examining man's creative genius as an isolated phenomenon then I would have nothing but the highest praise. But if however, we appraised mankind not just on its intellect but as a complete being of "conscience," I must say we fall drastically short of what's possible. Conscience can only effectively operate if one is truly connected. Are we connected? Fuck, we should definitely explore the universe, but not because we're looking for better real estate. Dunno, I'm just sitting backing blazing and thinking out loud. Stay green.
aahha shit i was blazed when i posted this thread. no doubt space is important but i couldnt put what i was thinking into words. i was really trying to say that we should be spending just as much time studying the deep oceans as we do space. my bad guys, no need to get all fired up about it
NASA'a Budget last year was $16.8 Billion. The U.S. military budget was in excess of $500 Billion. Imagine if we put even half of that $500 billion into NASA. We could advance our program by a decade in one year. Or perhaps put much of this money towards other ventures such as deep sea exploration, bringing back the supercollider, alternate energy research, rebuilding the gulf coast to withstand hurricanes, etc. I'm not a big fan of massive federal spending, but I would rather have tax dollars spent on helping U.S. citizens and forging new grounds in science. Sure beats spending half a trillion to send out young men and women to their doom.
One of my dreams would be for every country to spend a years' worth of their military budget on other things and for that year promise to be friends with everyone. Tackle world poverty, hunger, medical funding into disease, money into education, transport, etc etc, everything that gets neglected by tipping loads of moolah into the military. Who knows, people might realise its a much more pleasurable way to live and the entire world could become pacifists.. Haha am I dreaming or what!