The Space Program

[kvnchrist]

Was it a mistake for America to give up their space program, or was it time for the private sector to take over. Was it a choice of funding or direction that the country should go in. Does this lower the prestige of the country or does it raise it as far as the rest of the world is concerned?

[marharth]

I am a super lib, and I am going to say that the space program to some extent is a complete waste.

 

The space program should focus 100 percent on research for deep space exploration, nothing else.

[HeyYou]

You can thank the space program for a fair few of the technological advances we have today. Plastic being right up there on the list. Computers being another. Have a look here for a bunch of stuff that you either wouldn't have, or, would have been developed much later, had the space program not been in place.

 

Deep space exploration is pointless right now. Unless/until we develop a better drive system for our space craft, concentrating on our own little system right here must be the first step. (much easier to launch probes from the moon.....)

[marharth]

You can thank the space program for a fair few of the technological advances we have today. Plastic being right up there on the list. Computers being another. Have a look here for a bunch of stuff that you either wouldn't have, or, would have been developed much later, had the space program not been in place.

 

Deep space exploration is pointless right now. Unless/until we develop a better drive system for our space craft, concentrating on our own little system right here must be the first step. (much easier to launch probes from the moon.....)

And how do you suppose we develop a better drive system? Maybe by researching into the technology?

 

My problem is short term space exploration will not do much. The reason that NASA and other space organizations developed those technologies was not due to anything in space, or anything on the moon or mars, it was because of nationalism and the space race.

[HeyYou]

You can thank the space program for a fair few of the technological advances we have today. Plastic being right up there on the list. Computers being another. Have a look here for a bunch of stuff that you either wouldn't have, or, would have been developed much later, had the space program not been in place.

 

Deep space exploration is pointless right now. Unless/until we develop a better drive system for our space craft, concentrating on our own little system right here must be the first step. (much easier to launch probes from the moon.....)

And how do you suppose we develop a better drive system? Maybe by researching into the technology?

 

My problem is short term space exploration will not do much. The reason that NASA and other space organizations developed those technologies was not due to anything in space, or anything on the moon or mars, it was because of nationalism and the space race.

 

It was because they needed materials with specific properties (reasonably strong, and light.....) for a specific job. To get man into space. The motivation behind that goal isn't really relevant. (at least, not any more it isn't.)

 

We need to start developing our own 'space' (moon, lagrange points, etc.) as a stepping stone to deeper space. It's a heck of a lot easier to build a large enough ship for say, a mars mission.... in space, and launch from space, than it is to build it at the bottom of a deep gravity well, and then launch it....

[cancausecancer]

When China released the video of their space walk with those air bubbles magically floating up past their astronauts I think it was time for NASA to dismantle.

[marharth]

You can thank the space program for a fair few of the technological advances we have today. Plastic being right up there on the list. Computers being another. Have a look here for a bunch of stuff that you either wouldn't have, or, would have been developed much later, had the space program not been in place.

 

Deep space exploration is pointless right now. Unless/until we develop a better drive system for our space craft, concentrating on our own little system right here must be the first step. (much easier to launch probes from the moon.....)

And how do you suppose we develop a better drive system? Maybe by researching into the technology?

 

My problem is short term space exploration will not do much. The reason that NASA and other space organizations developed those technologies was not due to anything in space, or anything on the moon or mars, it was because of nationalism and the space race.

 

It was because they needed materials with specific properties (reasonably strong, and light.....) for a specific job. To get man into space. The motivation behind that goal isn't really relevant. (at least, not any more it isn't.)

 

We need to start developing our own 'space' (moon, lagrange points, etc.) as a stepping stone to deeper space. It's a heck of a lot easier to build a large enough ship for say, a mars mission.... in space, and launch from space, than it is to build it at the bottom of a deep gravity well, and then launch it....

What is the purpose of short term space exploration? I understand it is easier to launch a ship in little or no gravity, but once we get to mars, then what?

[HeyYou]

You can thank the space program for a fair few of the technological advances we have today. Plastic being right up there on the list. Computers being another. Have a look here for a bunch of stuff that you either wouldn't have, or, would have been developed much later, had the space program not been in place.

 

Deep space exploration is pointless right now. Unless/until we develop a better drive system for our space craft, concentrating on our own little system right here must be the first step. (much easier to launch probes from the moon.....)

And how do you suppose we develop a better drive system? Maybe by researching into the technology?

 

My problem is short term space exploration will not do much. The reason that NASA and other space organizations developed those technologies was not due to anything in space, or anything on the moon or mars, it was because of nationalism and the space race.

 

It was because they needed materials with specific properties (reasonably strong, and light.....) for a specific job. To get man into space. The motivation behind that goal isn't really relevant. (at least, not any more it isn't.)

 

We need to start developing our own 'space' (moon, lagrange points, etc.) as a stepping stone to deeper space. It's a heck of a lot easier to build a large enough ship for say, a mars mission.... in space, and launch from space, than it is to build it at the bottom of a deep gravity well, and then launch it....

What is the purpose of short term space exploration? I understand it is easier to launch a ship in little or no gravity, but once we get to mars, then what?

 

We can't get much further in any reasonable period of travel time. Even Mars would be at least a year-long mission. What we REALLY need is first: Fusion Power, or something similar. Then, we need an efficient drive that can be used in an atmosphere, without poisoning it, and THEN, (and this is the big one......) we need some method of faster than light travel. The first two, I could see within the next fifty years, give or take, the last one though..... well, that's anyone's guess. I would LOVE to see it in my lifetime, but, that is extremely unlikely.

[marharth]

You can thank the space program for a fair few of the technological advances we have today. Plastic being right up there on the list. Computers being another. Have a look here for a bunch of stuff that you either wouldn't have, or, would have been developed much later, had the space program not been in place.

 

Deep space exploration is pointless right now. Unless/until we develop a better drive system for our space craft, concentrating on our own little system right here must be the first step. (much easier to launch probes from the moon.....)

And how do you suppose we develop a better drive system? Maybe by researching into the technology?

 

My problem is short term space exploration will not do much. The reason that NASA and other space organizations developed those technologies was not due to anything in space, or anything on the moon or mars, it was because of nationalism and the space race.

 

It was because they needed materials with specific properties (reasonably strong, and light.....) for a specific job. To get man into space. The motivation behind that goal isn't really relevant. (at least, not any more it isn't.)

 

We need to start developing our own 'space' (moon, lagrange points, etc.) as a stepping stone to deeper space. It's a heck of a lot easier to build a large enough ship for say, a mars mission.... in space, and launch from space, than it is to build it at the bottom of a deep gravity well, and then launch it....

What is the purpose of short term space exploration? I understand it is easier to launch a ship in little or no gravity, but once we get to mars, then what?

 

We can't get much further in any reasonable period of travel time. Even Mars would be at least a year-long mission. What we REALLY need is first: Fusion Power, or something similar. Then, we need an efficient drive that can be used in an atmosphere, without poisoning it, and THEN, (and this is the big one......) we need some method of faster than light travel. The first two, I could see within the next fifty years, give or take, the last one though..... well, that's anyone's guess. I would LOVE to see it in my lifetime, but, that is extremely unlikely.

So my point is that funding should be focused on research, not short term space exploration.

 

Mainly research into fusion power.

[HeyYou]

According to popular theory, we ARE researching fusion power, and not just the government, there are private companies working on it as well. And it wouldn't be short term. Space manufacturing, another source of raw materials. (I always wanted to try my hand at asteroid mining.) launch and docking points for ships. espeically those that cannot enter the atmosphere. Etc. Lotsa uses for space stations, and moon bases.