1.) I was born in 1949, so yes I remember it. It made for wonderfully entertaining television. By the end of the moon program, though, the gee-whiz factor dropped off to a trickle. Folks couldn’t be bothered to watch another spectacular launch. What did we get for our billions?
a) A few crates of ordinary rocks and dust.
b) Some beautiful photographs, one of which was ripped off for an MTV logo.
c) JFK, already dead, got to look like a visionary.
d) Other presidents got nice photo ops.
e) Millions of questions, starting, “If we can send a man to the moon, why can’t we…”
Yes…someday… but I’m not in a hurry. It should be on the horizon. It should be something that we’re moving toward - but I don’t see the need for a set time limit - after all, how many thousands of years did it take for us to get to the moon?
You know, I almost added an “or” clause to question one, maybe I should have.
" Or did you want to be an Astronaut when you grew up."
My own answers are:
No
Disagree.
It costs too much to send people into space, and I don’t just mean money. Any faint interest I ever had in space was wiped out when Challenger blew up. And it doesn’t seem like things have gotten a whole lot safer since then- what other human endevor has sent so few to do something and lost so many? As for money, we seem to have reaped pitifully little of value that would go towards justifying the costs.
2.) Absolutely yes. There is almost nothing I feel as strongly about as the human need to explore. This initiative is almost enough to make me like Bush. Trust me when I say that is quite a change.
No (There are way better places to spend that money right now. But a little voice inside me says that if we continue trashing this place and risking making it uninhabitable, maybe we *should * oughta get working on that back-up plan for a new place.)
No. Like jweb, I was born in '78 and the first space-related thing I remember is Challenger.
Absolutely. I know that it’s incredibly expensive and there are many worthy causes on Earth that the money could be well spent on, but it’s just so cool. I’ve been fascinated by what’s out there for pretty much as long as I can remember.
Let’s go to Mars…but ONLY when we have a heavy-lift rocket that can get us there in 3-4 weeks , insteadof 8 months. In fact, if we revived the NASA “NOVA” booster program (cancelled ca 1968), we could be there in 5-6 years.
How to finace the Mars trip? Easy-set up a national lottery, witha BILLION dollar , TAX-FREE prize!
1). No, I was born in 1975
2). <Gus Grissom>Fuckn’ eh bubba!</Gus Grissom>
I think we should have continued oing to the moon and beyond in the 70’s. I heard a quote (sorry no cite) that if NASA kept up their pace in the 70’s that we could have had a man on Mars by the late 80’s!
2)Yes. Yes, you should come. In fact, Tars Tarkas, Podkayne and I are in the process of setting up the SDMB Greater Mars Trading Company**[sup]TM**[/sup] even as we speak. As you may imagine, waterfront lots on Mars are very scarce, and thus quite costly. We are making a limited number of these lots available to Dopers only. Don’t delay! Order yours today! Just 100 kilos of gold bullion will reserve your five acre lot.
Quasimodem will be handling our business affairs on Earth. Send him your gold now, as once you earthlings reach our planet, prices are certain to skyrocket.
2)Hell yes! A couple of reasons: The technology that will be created as a side benefit, and the fact, at least I believe it to be a fact, that if we don’t get off this rock and move some industries into space, we’re going to destroy it and ourselves along with it.
I’m against these newly proposed adventures until we shore up Social Security for generations to come, put decent health care within reach of everyone, adequately fund public education, improve assistance to veterans, capture Osama bin Laden, end massive unemployment and end deficit spending.
It nice ther with the food and close grown on trees… lotsa nice things like them blanket trees and ham bushes and that soap root. And we can all have each are own island for free!*
