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The Space Program

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I've been renewing my interest in the space program recently, studying up on the Mars missions past/present/future. Anyone want to talk about it? I'm quite interested in the replacement for the shuttle, called the Orion Spacecraft. It's a return to the old school, meaning more of a capsule design on top of a traditional rocket. They estimate they will be reusable several times and will be cheaper to produce.
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I know I'm gonna get slammed for this and believe me when I tell you that I am a HUGE proponent of space travel and the information it brings us, but.....there are more immediate problems here on the planet that could use attention and all that money that gets thrown into NASA.

Just my two cents....
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I basically second the above post. I love the thoughts and possibilities that space exploration presents but there are other issues here on earth that could use some of that money.

Hey look, a bear!

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On one hand, space technology forces us to innovate--we wouldn't have a lot of stuff that we do have today if not for the space program.

But on the same token, with all the global crises from radical Islam to North Korean nukes, I think we should probably be focusing on the Earth lest we get sucker punched while star gazing.

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Earth's problems are never going to be solved by throwing money at them. If we're going to throw dollars into a black hole, let's throw them at one in space, not the Welfare state (that's a statement, admittedly that belongs in the Politics thread).

If we wait to go to space until things are hunky-dory here we'll never go...
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I agree we shouldn't wait until everything is a-okay down here....I'm just saying that we have our priorities a little messed up here.

Famine and poverty are still major issues in the world that should be dealt with first before serious effort can be thrown into space travel. We have a space station, but still have homeless people walking the streets of America. That's kinda ass backwards....
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Originally posted by: Cable-X1
I agree we shouldn't wait until everything is a-okay down here....I'm just saying that we have our priorities a little messed up here.

Famine and poverty are still major issues in the world that should be dealt with first before serious effort can be thrown into space travel. We have a space station, but still have homeless people walking the streets of America. That's kinda ass backwards....


Agreed, but the amount of $$ being spent on programs like the "War on Poverty" and various social spending programs dwarfs the money being spent in the space program, and I'm sure the returns are not as good. I just hate that as a society we've got no problem spending millions on programs like "art therapy for the homeless" and midnight basketball but going to Mars is too expensive.
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There is plenty of money to go all around. I think it is pretty hypocritical that we all say it is such a waste of going to space and that more money should be thrown at homeless people, when at the same time none of us here would hesitate to throw away $20 on a new DVD, while that $20 bucks could have helped out a lot of starving children. Honestly, we thrown away money on everything, NASA isn't setting us back any, and like Chaltab said, it forces us to innovate. Who knows what new technology could be discovered that could benefit the world situation. If the money wasn't being spent on NASA, you can bet it would not be spent t feed the homeless. I have been around, and I have seen things most people living in America wouldn't believe. The dollar + tax we spend everyday on our McDonald's dollar menu could go a long way to helping the worlds hunger issue. I think if we go with the logic that NASA is a waste of money, then so are movies. Look at the budget for Spider-man 3, that could go a very long ways in helping the poor. At least with NASA we are developing new technology. I guess I have a strong fondness for the space program, it is a money guzzler, but look at it. We are exploring the unknown. Boldly going where no man has gone before! Man, I always wanted to be an astronaut! Curse my pathetic near sighted eyes!

"Every time Warb sighs, an angel falls into a vat of mapel syrup." - Gaffer Tape

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I don't believe I ever had real asperations of going into space at any point in my life (strange for a sci-fi freak).

As for the original topic: I have to agree with JediSage and Chaltab. The potential for learning and innovation is very high and most likely worth the cost. NASA has gotten a bad rap over the more recent years because of a number of failed orbiter missions to Mars, the Columbia disaster (which I believe can be eliminated in the future if NASA will turn its back on environmentalists), the delays on the ISS, etc. Going back to the Moon and then on to Mars is an important step towards the future of all mankind.
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Mars colonization advocacy site...

Red Colony
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I don't think we should halt our exploration of the worlds in our solar system and space in general just because there are unmet issues down on earth. As another poster said, it takes more than money to solve the world's problems. Moreover, the expenditures of the space program are trivial compared to military and defense budgets -- over one trillion dollars per year worldwide. Maybe we need changes in policy or action rather than just allocating money that would otherwise go to the cause of science and furthering human knowledge.
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