OK. So we landed a Ford Probe on Titan and its sending back scientific data. How much is this worth? How much is this costing us?

Don't get me wrong. I have a profound appreciation for space exploration's contributions to humanity. I'm having a hard time with this one though. The mission was so expensive it took a syndicate of nations to make it happen. And talk about RISK! The spacecraft "flew" for seven years before landing on a methane covered moon that's -217F. I'm sorry but I'm having a hard understanding how this is relevant.

The recent unprecedented human suffering in Southeast Asia is but a drop in the bucket compared to the cumulative suffering that happens every minute of every day here on OUR OWN PLANET! Why can't we spend our resources to ease human suffering instead scientific folly like this?

 

well if they never developed a space program. i dont think we'd be using computer by now. we'll be making everyone healthy and nothing but boring human on this planet riding on ox driven cart.

 

One of the main objectives of this mission was looking for insight in to our own planet, how it formed, and how it will age. While it does nothing for me now, in years to come it may be significant.

I understand how you think its wastefull, and frankly the money they blow is astronomical the advances in science have brought a better life, increased health etc etc to mankind. ( some I suppose could disagree with this )

On the other hand, what would you rather do? save up all the money, and wait for shit to happen, then spend it on relief?

what if this mission, or any other mission gives us a better understanding of earthquakes and associated tsunami's and save 100's of thousands of lives. That would be money well spent IMO

 

Its all a matter of priorities.

If our priority was to prevent human suffering, we'd probably have technology that eclipses anything we have today.

And talk about a challenge! Landing scrap metal on a moon is elementary. Solving the problems we have here on earth is the REAL challenge.

 

It would be nice, but it far to simplistic. The economy, the money that countries use is based upon the products that are sold. As money is generated, taxes are levied, and countries grow richer.

If a country was to dedicate thier resource to "prevent human suffering" there wouldn't be much money left, it would probably have been gone 100 years ago.

A quick list of things Nasa has developed, that not only generated large amounts of capital, but some have been responsible for saving lives.

Smoke detectors
Cat Scans
Ear thermometers
Bar code scanners
Sattelittes
Cordless tools
Firefigter outfits
Advanced plastics, for manufacturing and prosthetic limbs

The list goes on, but hopefully you see my point, space programs are about alot more then just landing on a planet.

 

Mindcore,

Thanks for your post. I feel that how our planet formed and how it will age is of little meaning to those who will go to bed hungry tonight. And no, we don't have to save our money until sh*t happens. It already has and continues to happen every day.

I doubt this space mission will reveal anything about earthquakes here on earth. If understanding earthquakes is a priority, why go to Saturn's moon to study earthquakes? We seem to have plenty of opportunities here.

As a society, or should I say collection of societies, we lust for knowledge of the unknown. That, above all, has driven space exploration. The scientific acheivements offered as a redeming value of this are offered as an excuse for our misplaced priorities.

Let's study the KNOWN and solve REAL problems.

 

Yep, I do. And Some of the things you list are extremely meaningful to improving the condition of humanity.

I guess I'm saying we need to really examine what we're doing. We should place our priorities first and then, if exploring (extremely) distant moons will allow us to make valuable progress towards meeting our priorities, we should do it. But if we are spending exhorbitant amounts of money and resources to simply "go where no man has gone before," I believe that we are doing the wrone thing.

 

I quite agree, we go to space because we're curious, the ancillary benifits are secondary.. can't argue that.

I didn't want to play this card, because I know I'll come across as a real asshole. I'm not a spiritual person, but I believe the earth has a way of balancing itself. Natural disaters, are horrific events, and the pain and sorrow they cause are devistating.

However, events such as these sadly balance the over population of the earth, thus sustaining itself. As with other animals, the balance of one to the other must remain, or most if not all die off.

If we were to dedicate all our efforts into preventing human suffering, at what point does it end? preventing natural disaters would be amazing, curing all disease at once ( and this hits close to home, as myself and my close friend are dealing with its effects on our families ) increasing the life span of man, but what impact will that have on our planet, our civilization? where will people live? how will we adapt?

I seem to have gotten way off topic here, and its not to dismiss your point of view, in my heart I would love to see what you propose to be fact

 

Well, I too have had those same thoughts. "Relief" at times seems to fly in the face of the "natural" course of things.

What power does that give to those who have the ability to give relief...or withold it?

Does it really give them "power", or does it give them "responsibility"?

 

I sure hate to think its power. I'm conflicted on this argument, because while I believe what I said above to be true ( and I almost deleted it, since I dislike that point of view ) I also believe that it is mankinds responsibility to prevent these disasters.

I do think however there is a bigger picture, and I don't believe that dedicating all our time and resources to one "cause" is a repsonisble action either.

I use space as an example, as there are other fields that could yeild benifits, physics, medical etc. Consider the problem of over population. Its not in our nature to just wait for big waves to come by and thin the heard, it is in our nature to focus on solutions, and that includes, however star trek it may seem, colonization on other planets, additional sources of food, or energy, all of which will contibute to a better quality of life and survial and growth on mankind.

While unlikely, if at the last minute we found out a meteor was to impact the earth, I'm sure a whole lot of people would be thinking " I wish we spent more time looking up"

Trying to remain objective, I think there needs to be an alloction of resources to all areas, which may seem trivial in light of recent events