Space Exploration (nasa= Good/bad)

[iGuest 3]

Alright, just before I start, I'd like to say that I'm rather young. Not 16 and not 12... Somewhere in between. But I really do enjoy this kind of discussion/opinion posts, so here goes: Personally, I think space exploration is beneficial and worthwhile. I'm not being influenced by anyone to say this; I read, I analyze, I get my thoughts out on my own. Why do I say space exploration is good? One thing for sure is that it helps satisfy some part of the natural human feeling: curiosity (this word is being used a lot... Is anyone tired of seeing it? xP). We want to broaden our horizons and absorb as much knowledge as we can. It helps us grow as a person, and during the process, we just may discover something useful that helps our race or helps us understand our universe. Oh, wait now-- haven't we already discovered great things like, say, the PLANETS in our solar system? Learning about our world and what's around it is pretty crucial to our understanding of how things work.

Not to offend anyone here, but why do a certain number of people believe we spend too much on NASA and not enough money to help the poor when a good number of them spend around $600 billion on gambling PER YEAR? Frankly, I think they should just quiet up and seriously check out the facts once in a while, 'cause it doesn't look good on them. And the annual sales on holiday season gifts? $5 billion... For pets alone, not for the poor. Kinda outrageous, don't you think? And that's nearly six times more than what NASA spent on its Martian explorers, Spirit and Opportunity. Don't get me wrong; I LOVE pets. But is it really necessary to spoil them with little booties or bowties and the likes when all they really need is food, water, a place to live in, and some great masters who will give them some TLC?

What wua05 said at the very top about how much money is spent is something that I was pleased to see: 

"Many people believe that the money that is spent on space exploration is used unwisely. It is also said that the government should use the money for space exploration on feeding the poor. When the money used on NASA projects is totaled, the sum seems like an astounding number. In contrast, the federal government of the United States spends less than one percent of its budget on space exploration. More than thirty percent of its budget goes to helping the poor."

So who says people aren't helping the poor? But enough of this. What are the benefits? New inventions and technology affects just about every one of us, but I believe it to be more so for the newer generations. We are all living in a technological environment; cell phones, computer, television, etc. But where did they come from, the sky? Nup. Well, sort of. NASA's space program is the answer. The cordless drill Black and Decker has offered the public two years before NASA? Says Daniel Lockney: "...NASA did work with Black and Decker, and the collaboration did lead to a stronger, longer-lasting battery." And you know the thermometers inserted in people's ears? It was initiated by scientists who wanted to measure the radiation from stars and planets. That's pretty cool, I think. But those aren't really anything compared to other things that have come out of space exploration. Take for example the panoramic views sports (and other) channels have where they have plays from all angles. That's based on robotic gigapan camera technology, used to create images of Mars' landscape from digital photos taken by space probes. Now, I could go on, but I don't quite feel like it. Search it up. Anyway, think about it: if these are just few of the things that have come out of space projects/exploration, imagine what could happen years from now. Yes, I agree that we should care for ourselves and our home planet, but can't we do that side by side with space exploration and research? It wouldn't hurt to give that a shot, would it?

 

So, yeah... I don't have much more to say. Okay, I do, but I'm afraid if I keep typing my fingers will fall off from the work. =P

-reply by StayGold

[iGuest 3]

effects of space travelSpace Exploration (nasa= Good/bad)

I believe with the respect of both sides of positive and negative that space travel is only okay. Yes its good for humans to be curious and observe beyond are boundaries but we need limits. If we stopped space travel what would it do, heal our atmosphere. We aren't expanding are space technologies like we did in the early 1900's. Should we wait for someone to challenge us. I think not.We could live without computers and cell phones. We did it before people and if we cant do it again. Well, I just think that makes us a little weak. Space travel effects human bodies severally too. I think keeping a few more healthier people on earth isn't gone kill us. Well that's just my opinion and if you think otherwise just leave your opinion. Thanks 

-reply by monica

[grim reaper1666 0]

well space travel could prove to be very important, what if in 20 years a big rock comes towards the earth then everyone goes i knew we shouldn't have stopped space travel. then we all die because of money issues. i mean in the end the money would be destroyed by the big rock so if people are saying budgets should be cut because of money concerns then you are just trying to capitalise on something which would inevitably some day save the human race. it would also allow us to expand past our own planet and reach alien civilasations. don't say that there is no other life in the universe we have only discovered about 5% percent of the universe so really that is not enough proof against humans being the only life in the universe. sure that could be swung the other way but that still not proof of that either.

[Quatrux 4]

I agree, money seems to be always being a problem for every country, everyone seems to be wanting to be rich at this kind of times, but as I said I'm not against space exploration, as I know every year NASA doesn't get the budget in needs as there is no more of a thing like space race, but remember, that they get a budget and that budget is used to pay people who work in NASA, scientists get money, engineers get money, different companies get money, people in the university are learning and will get money for that..So it's not like NASA is throwing money to space and are happy with that, the money in NASA budget is in the economics of the world, even the janitor in NASA is getting money/wage which he is using to buy food in a store and that store gets income and can pay their personnel and etc.By giving that money to the poor in Africa may result in quite a different change in economics of the world, as a lot of companies, universities and etc. will loose their income.

[grim reaper1666 0]

also if governments think the money is the problem its not, in asteroids there are enough precious metals like gold, and more to make billions and thats from one asteroid on average. this means the money issues with space travel become, profit. nasa and other space industries such as esa could make alot of money this way and thus increasing money they spend on developing better space travel and enventually find a way to explore more of the universe.we might even be able to find the answer to fusion in space we might find a element which does not exist on earth (say because its half life turned it into a different element on earth). that could be brought to earth and there by solving the energy problems we have we would not need to depend on oil, and coal anymore and it wouldn't really put those companies out of business they could adapt to go into space to mine for that element bring it back and deliver it to a fusion plant.

[HannahI 0]

NASA is the only one that is getting off thier laziness, Appolo 8 was NASA, too!

[grim reaper1666 0]

you may think that but the hubble space telescope was a joint operation between nasa and the esa, and the uk space industry opened this year so there is another factor to the importance of space travel. the esa has also been developing ion engines and has a potential design, and a working model which needs to be made ready to enter space with all of the conditions that the engines would need to survive. also long before nasa started developing ion engines russia was already using them in satelites to prevent their orbit from decaying. this is a potential way to get to mars using ion engines which launch out small masses which as you know when you get closer towards the speed of light your mass increases, these masses would increase thus creating more speed.

[yordan 10]

when you get closer towards the speed of light your mass increases, these masses would increase thus creating more speed.

It's probably not so simply. Because, the closer to speed light you are, more energy you need to give in order to increase your speed. So, the same number of hadrons (ions) thrown away by the ion engine will not give you more speed increase, but probably far less, albeit they weight more because of reletivity effects.

[Ahsaniqbalkmc 0]

Human being is curious by nature and I am very sure that the thinking of exploration of space would have started when everything on the world was discovered. As the man has a nature to look for new things so going to explore space was the only option.NASA is doing a great job. I mean think of the money they are investing in space programs. And finally if they found something living on planets other than earth then it will be a start of new age.

[mahesh2k 0]

If it's for terraforming then i'm all for it but investing money on celestial objects research will hardly help. Instead finding habitable planets and solar system should be prime importance in my opinion. BUt oh well let's see how nasa moves ahead now that they know about water on moon.

[grim reaper1666 0]

you still don't get why ion propulsion is good, it works by sending masses out which as you get closer to the spped of light their mass increases along with yours. then when you launch them out the extra mass gives them extra energy. this means that you could infact reach the speed of light. then you need to find a way of travelling faster than light which is the concern.