I was mainly trying to answer your question, “what value?” Considering that NASA is funded by less that 0.05% of taxes, I don’t think this is an either/or scenario for research in general. I also think you need to add some cites for your last assertion.
For the record, I don’t think that investing in manned spaced exploration is more imperative than solving global warming. But to those who say it is without value, I think history tells a different story.
I mean returning to the Moon will add nothing* to science or real economic benefits. Please don’t ask for cites for statements of opinion.
A huge amount of money could be better spent.
*hyperbole. I could have said “very little” but I was trying to Trump you.
So, fusion has been mentioned. Is it really so wonderful? We were told nuclear energy was going to be so cheap it wouldn’t even be metered. Now it’s anything but. Sure, fusion will reduce our need for underground fuel storage, but it’s taken many billions of dollars in research and testing and it’s still not economical. What makes people think that when it does sorta kinda produce more energy than it takes to make it work, that it’s going to be affordable? Has anyone seriously looked into what it’s going to cost to actually build and staff fusion plants?
Also the technology that that would require is so far beyond what we currently have that any advancement we would make by funding a trip to mars would be insiginficant as compared to the paradigm shifting technology required to create a long term (1000+ year) self sufficient extra planetary colony.
Its like a caveman deciding that if he ever wants to cross the Atlantic Ocean he needs to work really hard on his swimming.
The psychological part of this cannot be understated. Human want to explore. Humans want to travel into the unknown. I was at Kennedy Space Center in 2006 and the director told some young children that they could be the ones going to Mars in the year 2030. They squealed with excitement.
Further, this time instead of a cold war pissing match, it could be a cooperative effort between nations. When we work together, we put aside many of our differences.
All in all, it is something that many people are excited about, and I believe that we owe it to future generations to begin the process.
I am sure if the director told those kids they’d be getting ice cream they would have squealed even louder.
I think Stranger On A Train nailed it above. Balance spending resources between solving pressing real-world problems and long-term directional goals. The problem is pressing real-world problems aren’t as sexy, fun, or “exciting” as fantasizing about being in Star Trek. If we don’t resolve our current issues WRT climate, population, etc., we wont last long enough to develop the capability to flee our soiled nest.
They have determined, for example, that planet earth is blue and there’s nothing they can do.
[QUOTE=snowthx;19825743I think Stranger On A Train nailed it above. Balance spending resources between solving pressing real-world problems and long-term directional goals. The problem is pressing real-world problems aren’t as sexy, fun, or “exciting” as fantasizing about being in Star Trek. If we don’t resolve our current issues WRT climate, population, etc., we wont last long enough to develop the capability to flee our soiled nest.[/QUOTE]
NASA’s budget isn’t so big it’s dooming the Earth to climate change or making poor people starve to death. Unsexy problems do get lots of money. The reason the US isn’t doing more to combat climate change has more to do with not-giving-a-shititus than what we do or don’t spend on manned space exploration.
Sure, and in the mean time allow NASA to also study our own planet. And as another poster said, the most important job is to keep earth healthy and habitable.
In addition to Stranger’s point, we are getting more extreme weather events which quite obviously has a direct impact on insurance companies and a wide variety of infrastructure maintenance. Many competent businesses are indeed making climate change a part of their planning.