Manned Mars Mission Mandated.

Where do I sign up?

That "Mars Direct" option might have a change with $19bn.

said Senator Ted Cruz. "The impact in terms of jobs lost, the impact in terms of money wasted has been significant."

$19.5 billion here and $19.5 billion there and soon you are talking about serious waste :slight_smile:

What the ***k would it matter to humankind if there was no more space exploration period.

How many starving 3rd world infants would $19.5 billion feed?

How many poorly educated and poorly housed US citizens would it help?

How many space equipment providers will it make rich richer?

...R

Too true Robin

sorry robin. but if someone who lives next the ocean doesn't learn to swim, no amount of money is going to help....

and, why should America pay for babies in third would countries. Birth control, maybe...

space exploration is actually responsible for a lot of life saving technology here on earth... what an unfortunate short sided post.

@ Qdeathstar

You are wasting your breath...

It always astounds me (aerospace engineer) when people decry funding military and space programs...on the internet, using wi-fi, on a tablet, knowing what the weather will be like for the next week, etc, etc.

Prop-Forge:
It always astounds me (aerospace engineer) when people decry funding military and space programs

Perhaps you have a vested interest :slight_smile:

The truth of the matter is that humans (including me) could get by perfectly well wihout any satellite communications or weather satellites etc etc. After, all, they managed without electricity for thousands of years.

I may even survive if this Forum was to cease.

...R

I have a vested interest because I'm a forward-looking human that wants society to keep progressing. In that regard though, there's a huge number of people that, whether they realize it or not, depend on the aerospace industry for their well-being. You seem to forget (or simply ignore) that equipment manufacturers employ large amounts of low-to-middle class individuals.

Since you raised the point about feeding starving people, etc, I must ask, how much do you donate of your money to such causes? If it's not every cent you can spare, you're being a bit hypocritical.

Qdeathstar:
I'd rather they give the 19 billion as a reward to the first private company to do it, personally.

As Neil deGrasse Tyson points out, putting all the space exploration eggs into the single basket of private companies is a bad idea. Private companies are there to make money, and answer to stockholders, who much of the time make knee-jerk budget changes quarter to quarter; not a good thing for long-term projects.

Design competitions are good, but there should be a steadier hand at the helm than some clueless MBA.

Prop-Forge:
I'm a forward-looking human that wants society to keep progressing.

I don't share that view.

Human beings are just another species of animal. Wildebeests and beetles manage without forward-looking and humans don't need it either.

All we have achieved with forward-looking is the unnecessary destruction of other species.

...R

And without forward-looking we've polluted our fresh water, contaminated the ground, over fished the oceans, depleted oil wells, had water injected oilwells cause earthquakes, created smog laden air, and not solved the problem of what to do with nuclear waste.

I'd say some forward looking as part of anything going forward can't hurt, whether it be Mars or elsewhere. Recycling as a means to reduce solid waste and to create energy or reuse the material vs creating huge landfills that take up space and leach chemicals into nearby ground & water is a good example.

CrossRoads:
And without forward-looking we've polluted our fresh water, contaminated the ground, over fished the oceans, depleted oil wells, had water injected oilwells cause earthquakes, created smog laden air, and not solved the problem of what to do with nuclear waste.

I understand what you are trying to say and I share your concern.

But the problems you mention have happened while (and probably because) we have been forward-looking in the sense used in Reply #10.

The real problem is that our forward vision only looks at the things it likes to look at - generally fuelled by greed and self-interest (and the latter comments are NOT aimed at the Author of Reply #10)

...R

IMHO 'Womanned Mars Mission Womanated', would be a much better idea.

.

Hi,
I remember last year on Neil deGrasse Tyson program Star Talk, the discussion was about Mars exploration and colonisation.
One of the subjects was Terraforming the atmosphere to make it breathable.

One of the guests, a comedian, very seriously pointed out that Terraforming is not new, we have been doing it to our planet for many, many decades so Mars should be a piece of cake.

Tom... :slight_smile:

Just let a few million mitochondria get over there :slight_smile:

And people with midichlorian high count in their blood.

Tom... :slight_smile:

Some science agencies are spending $billions trying to see if there is life on Mars. Others are gleefully planning to spend $trillions wiping out that life by bringing the flu virus (or siphilis or guns - take your pick).

...R

Ted Cruz waster over 26 billion on a 2 week shut down once. He should know, his group has led of wasting time and taxes on endless witch hunts when they should be getting burned.

Up there is both threats and resources, them rocks that go by. We're up spotting the big ones.

Want to save the poor? Get the leeches that take over 90% of the aid sent out of the system first.

Mars wouldn't be so far away if there wasn't wars to be finished first.