Poll: NASA and public funding

[Littlee300]

Yeah space exploration seems kinda cool.

Getting a colony on the moon is the most grand and pointless achievement there is.
If you're living in the US, you're already paying NASA.

As long as there is one discovery we make when colonizing it, it is ok with me, on other hand if we already know everything that will happen to colony and make no discoveries, whats the point?

 

[Low Key]

As I said if this would know every person they would get 1-2 billion $ a year for sure (or more). Ow and we don't need 60 billion $ for mars but about 25-30 billion $ witch isn't a lot I look how much US give a year for military.

$25 billion isn't a lot? REALLY?

Spoiler: Rant

The thing about the military budget is they actually need it. Minus the spending for Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds of billions of dollars are needed to train our troops to defend our own soil. It costs 6 figures just to run a training mission. There are almost 3,000,000 active and reserve troops with about 190 in each company. Just one training mission for each company at $100,000 each (usually it's 5x more) would equal $1.5 billion dollars. But I digress. Most of the money from the $600 billion military budget goes to soldier pay. They do deserve a paycheck ya know.

Back on topic, it would take multiple trips to build a base on the moon, plus the cost of sending people up there to build it, plus keeping people there to maintain it, plus the cost of sending more shuttles there to resupply. The cost would be much more than you are anticipating. Going to Mars would be less, but not by much. It takes 4 years to get there, which takes a lot of resources.

 

[cleverlymadeup]

Hell yes...were you aware that NASA recieves public funding already?

i think the poster means private funding and not public

[HEADING=2]NASA gets plenty of funding each year.[/HEADING]

WASHINGTON - NASA announced a $17.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2009 to continue exploring the solar system, building the International Space Station, studying Earth from space and conducting aeronautics research.

http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/feb/HQ_08034_FY2009_budget.html


Maybe NASA should stop trying to do ten things at a goddamn time.
/thread

That being said, I would definitely give more money. Then again, I don;t pay taxes, like 90% of the Escapist who are agreeing on this thread

no they don't get enough money especially when you consider what the military budget is, they get next to nothing compared to that

 

[destroyer2k]

$25 billion isn't a lot? REALLY?

It just isn't US gave this years to military 586 billion $.

No.

Cause i think theres bigger issues to deal with here on earth, and while space is intruguing, i still don't see how it's usefull to us ATM, so i'd give my money to medical research, or science research (fusion power anyone?) or something else instead.

You are wrong moon can give us helium 3 witch is very very little on earth (for fusion reactor or clean energy). And mars colony is even more important as when we will have mars colony then we can go extract materials from asteroid (asteroid belt is near mars).

And problem with your thinking is that medicine is depended on rear materials and earth just doesn't have enough for the future.

I forgot to write why we need some material for medicine. We need this for things like LHC and so on, as project like LHC make advance in medicine (the old particle collider made some discovery and with that discovery it was made cat scan and a few more forgot witch one were they).

 

[Martymer]

Getting a colony on the moon is the most grand and pointless achievement there is.

No.

Cause i think theres bigger issues to deal with here on earth, and while space is intruguing, i still don't see how it's usefull to us ATM, so i'd give my money to medical research, or science research (fusion power anyone?) or something else instead.

This kind of thinking is the problem. We don't need it *NOW*, so who cares? Better to spend money on things that are actually important. It makes sense *right now*. It seems the responsible thing to do *right now*. However, it shows complete ignorance of how science works, and of the potential benefits to all of mankind in the future. Oh, and it's actually necessary for our survival as a species.

The Earth can only support a finite population. It is estimated that right now, there are three times as many humans as can be supported. That means resources (food, fresh water, living space, minerals, fuels such as oil and gas, etc), are being consumed at much higher rate than "nature intended", as it were (we're using up resources faster than they can be replenished). It means that we're going to end up destroying ourselves, either by using up all the resources, or in a war over the last of them. I'm not saying this is going to be tomorrow, but the simple fact that we're breeding like vermin without natural enemies makes it inevitable. Unless, of course, we expand.

One day we must expand, or we will die out. OK, fine, but like I said, that's not tomorrow. So why spend money on space exploration today? Simple. Because we can't start exploring when we actually need to expand. That's when the technology and the knowledge has to be there. Aquiring it will take time, and there's really no way to say how much time. The sooner we get back to it, the better. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that it'll be too late when we actually do.

I agree that there are more important (or rather, more immediate) things to spend money on, but space exploration can't be pushed off the list of priorities, and considered pointless.

 

[Hurr Durr Derp]

I'd rather spend a bit of money on NASA or something similar than just throwing it at fucking Greenpeace again.

 

[destroyer2k]

I'd rather spend a bit of money on NASA or something similar than just throwing it at fucking Greenpeace again.

1+

Those are just idiots that doesn't know anything.

 

[Low Key]

$25 billion isn't a lot? REALLY?

It just isn't US gave this years to military 586 billion $.

Divide 3,000,000 troops by $600 billion and tell me what you get. Granted the reserves make less than the active duty soldiers and they all certainly aren't in the top pay bracket, most of the military budget goes to pay the soldiers, not for equipment or whatever else.

$25 billion is a lot of money. If you don't think so, I'd be glad to take whatever money you don't think you need. I'm sure I can find a much better use for it than what you spend it on because you obviously don't know the value of a dollar.

 

[destroyer2k]

$25 billion isn't a lot? REALLY?

It just isn't US gave this years to military 586 billion $.

Divide 3,000,000 troops by $600 billion and tell me what you get. Granted the reserves make less than the active duty soldiers and they all certainly aren't in the top pay bracket, most of the military budget goes to pay the soldiers, not for equipment or whatever else.

$25 billion is a lot of money. If you don't think so, I'd be glad to take whatever money you don't think you need. I'm sure I can find a much better use for it than what you spend it on because you obviously don't know the value of a dollar.

Heh about 450 billion $ (a little more) still goes to other military things. I know how much US soldier gets paid I can't tell you as I would breach our military contract.

And you got me wrong for goverment 25 billion $ is small money for me hell 1€ means a lot, but you are right I don't know the value of dollar as I use € in my country=).

 

[teisjm]

Getting a colony on the moon is the most grand and pointless achievement there is.

No.

Cause i think theres bigger issues to deal with here on earth, and while space is intruguing, i still don't see how it's usefull to us ATM, so i'd give my money to medical research, or science research (fusion power anyone?) or something else instead.

This kind of thinking is the problem. We don't need it *NOW*, so who cares? Better to spend money on things that are actually important. It makes sense *right now*. It seems the responsible thing to do *right now*. However, it shows complete ignorance of how science works, and of the potential benefits to all of mankind in the future. Oh, and it's actually necessary for our survival as a species.

The Earth can only support a finite population. It is estimated that right now, there are three times as many humans as can be supported. That means resources (food, fresh water, living space, minerals, fuels such as oil and gas, etc), are being consumed at much higher rate than "nature intended", as it were (we're using up resources faster than they can be replenished). It means that we're going to end up destroying ourselves, either by using up all the resources, or in a war over the last of them. I'm not saying this is going to be tomorrow, but the simple fact that we're breeding like vermin without natural enemies makes it inevitable. Unless, of course, we expand.

One day we must expand, or we will die out. OK, fine, but like I said, that's not tomorrow. So why spend money on space exploration today? Simple. Because we can't start exploring when we actually need to expand. That's when the technology and the knowledge has to be there. Aquiring it will take time, and there's really no way to say how much time. The sooner we get back to it, the better. The longer we wait, the greater the chance that it'll be too late when we actually do.

I agree that there are more important (or rather, more immediate) things to spend money on, but space exploration can't be pushed off the list of priorities, and considered pointless.

I never said it was pointless, going into space, but I honestly odn't se eit priorituzed now.
According to the scientists, we're gonna be fucked by global warming, thats more important to deal with now.
When you say we can't support the people on earth, you do realize that it's not space (as in areas to live in, not space-space) we need right? It's food, which isn't really that common on neitehr Mars or the moon. So if you wanna find a solution to that, it's not building colonies in places without any food and possibly no water. Moon/mars bases would require a constant stream of rescources form earth.
How bout some huge artificial floating island-farms. They can travel around where the good weather is, so they'll be able to harvest as often as possible.
How about teaching people not to breed like rats (or forcing them to, like china seriously, as cruel aas it may seem, they're doing the world a huge favor)
How bout NASA getting a load of millitary money, theres already nukes enough to blow up the world several times, they don't need money for more nukes. Thats just some lame geenrals trying to compensate for something.
How bout getting the third world countries up and running, that way they''ll get fewer kids (look at rich countries vs third world, theres always more kids pr. family in the poor countries) there'll be a better industrial food supply, so we can feed more people.

Once we (mankind) has got a little more controll over this world we live in, then we can try and find new worlds. The problem is, that all the worlds within our reach is un-inhabitable. And unless someone makes something that'll disprove Einstain we're never gonan travel at light speed. with the closest star (apart form the sun) beeing over 4 light-years away, and we don't even know if it has inhabitable planets. looking to space for new places to lie is a long-shot by far. And it's extremely rescource requiring, compared to lots of other stuff.

 

[destroyer2k]

...

Mars has water witch can be used for drinking water and oxygen (and plants to can be used for oxygen). Moon to has water.

For food that isn't much of a problem if we would make mars colony there would only be plants to eat and no meat.

And space travel isn't that of a problem as we have the tehnology to make gravity in space (the space ship must rotate for 1G gravity) and with ion engine we could go to the nearest solar system in 10-11 years (with current ion engine, but there will be even faster).

And like many have told you space travel is demanded if we want to save future generation. This is not for sake of exploring but we need more material in future because earth doesn't have enough.

Ow and to travel faster then light is possible you just need to rip space and time (witch we only need one material to discover and it will be possible).

 

[SupaMechaDeathChrist]

If I have somewhere to go when the apocalypse happens on earth, Im fine with paying 5-10$

 

[Low Key]

Heh about 450 billion $ (a little more) still goes to other military things. I know how much US soldier gets paid I can't tell you as I would breach our military contract.

Allow me to disclose that info for you [http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp]. Do you honestly think I don't know what I am talking about? If everyone was at the rank of E-1 and got paid accordingly, the total would $50 billion. At E-7, still below the rank of Officer, before being honorably discharged after 4 years of service that total would rise to $108 billion. And don't forget, veterans also get retirement benefits. As I said, most of the military budget goes to pay the soldiers.

And you got me wrong for goverment 25 billion $ is small money for me hell 1? means a lot, but you are right I don't know the value of dollar as I use ? in my country=).

$25 billion is still a lot in terms of the government. That kind of money can pay for all kinds of stuff. And guess what. It comes out of my paycheck, so I expect it to be used properly and efficiently, not frivolously on pet projects. Maybe your country can start a space program or you can take up collections and give it to NASA. I already pay enough in taxes.

 

[destroyer2k]

...

About those pay roll that isn't entirely right.

Heh and our country make a space agency yea right our total population is 2 million, but about tax we better don't go about this because I pay a lot more tax than you do (we are one of the most taxed country in the world), but I don't complaint about this that much as we have a lot of ups because of high tax.

 

[Jark212]

Advancing the space program is important if humanity wants to expand into the galaxy, I would fund a space program.

Me too, for this exact reason...

 

[Low Key]

...

About those pay roll that isn't entirely right.

Heh and our country make a space agency yea right our total population is 2 million, but about tax we better don't go about this because I pay a lot more tax than you do (we are one of the most taxed country in the world), but I don't complaint about this that much as we have a lot of ups because of high tax.

That pay scale is exactly right.

I'm glad you like paying lots of taxes. I, however, do not. Just because your country has high taxes doesn't mean my country should. America gets along just fine without raping it's citizens' paychecks.

 

[atol]

Getting a colony on the moon is the most grand and pointless achievement there is.

I agree that there are more important (or rather, more immediate) things to spend money on, but space exploration can't be pushed off the list of priorities, and considered pointless.

We know everything we need to know about the moon already. The only benefits of a moon colony right now would be extremely obscure studies that in all probability will have absolutely no effect on humanity. We don't yet have the technology to do anything useful on the moon, thus getting a colony on the moon would be grand and pointless. In the meantime, such advances in technology can be formulated just as effectively on Earth.

 

[geldonyetich]

You'll regret your stinginess when they discover magical moon cheese and its capability to cure cancer and balance your checkbook simultaneously.

(That or when we blow up the planet and require a substitute.)

 

[atol]

The tools, money, time, and research required for the discovery and practical use of some magical element hidden on the moon are so tremendous, and the probability of finding anything is so miniscule, it's about as rational and sacrificing the populations of entire continents for a blessing from some god or another.

 

[internetzealot1]

Sure as hell a better cause than healthcare.