nigelswift
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Re: interstellar overdrive
Jan 09, 2004, 11:06
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Tom, the "far more pressing problems" argument can't be denied, but it'll always be valid and could have been used against Columbus....
Oh Christ, I just ruined my own argument there didn't I....
A word in support of wasting money on space exploration: it's good for the human psyche, we need a Frontier (no I'm not a Star Trek fan, Dr Who was far fuller of inventive thought despite the potted plants).
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nigelswift
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Re: Bush to Announce Missions to Mars, Moon
Jan 09, 2004, 11:19
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Britain's chief scientist - forget who - was on TV this morning saying it's really real and (effectively) the Americans are wrong. First time we've done that officially I think, so there'll be a frosty phone call and the Special Relationship will be back to being unspecial.
BTW, where's my dividend for apparently supporting them in the war? Shouldn't half of the ten trillion be sent to Britain as a big Thankyou? Hope we haven't been misled in some way.
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ratcni01
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Re: Bush to Announce Missions to Mars, Moon
Jan 09, 2004, 12:12
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A flippant remark made by a collegue here at work I sent the link on to, said "So is that all of them going then?" A major generalisation, but it did make me laugh, in a kind of cruel and heartless way.
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Lawrence
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Re: Bush to Announce Missions to Mars, Moon
Jan 09, 2004, 13:36
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"The love of god!" He truly is disgusting!
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Hob
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Re: interstellar overdrive
Jan 09, 2004, 16:00
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Aye, there's many threats to our survival, but a lot of those threats are other humans. So if nothing else, space exploration may offer a way to get the dodgy humans off the planet.
It's useless to invest any hope in space exploration as a problem solving thing whilst orbit is still controlled by the military people. Space migration could be lovely or it could suck big style. But you'll never get me living in a bloody big floaty space thing. Mebbe a quick holiday though...
Space tourist advert:-
Always wanted to see the world?
There it is down there, all of it!
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Spaceship mark
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Re: Bush to Announce Missions to Mars, Moon
Jan 09, 2004, 16:00
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...erm I made that up. Although I'm sure he'd get God in there somewhere...
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FourWinds
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Re: interstellar overdrive
Jan 09, 2004, 16:13
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It could just be that they are a lot nearer to nuclear fusion than they are admitting, and The Moon is certainly the best source of the raw minerals needed for an extended program. Perhaps Mars has its fair share too?
Going to The Moon (and mining it) could actually be the only way to solve global waming ... odd thought that one.
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Spaceship mark
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Re: interstellar overdrive
Jan 09, 2004, 16:17
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Surely it's 'nucular' fusion...
(I can't even work out how to spell it the way he pronounces it!)
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TomBo
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Re: interstellar overdrive
Jan 09, 2004, 20:42
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some nebulous thoughts...
I didn't mean to give the impression that I'm 100% against humanity in space - I don't have a fully formed opinion on it. I suppose its an entirely natural thing, in a way - evolution calling? All of life, including ourselves, came from the seas, and I suppose that these first tentative steps outside of the atmosphere are comparable with our ancient journey out of the water. Or look at Eurasian history - they just found evidence to prove that Siberia was inhabitted 30,000 years ago. Whenever the ice retreated humans pushed into the uninhabited and inhospitable lands that were uncovered, only leaving them when the ice advanced once again. I guess its human nature to push beyond the limits of your immediate environment. But still that leaves me uncomfortable: that argument could be easily summed up in the words "to boldly go where no-one has gone before". Which brings us to Star Trek - surely a myth of what-America-would-like-the-future-to-be, if ever I saw one. And I have to say that if that future came to pass and I was on that ship then it would be as a space-age Fletcher Christian. I accept that my dislike of Star Trek probably isn't a good argument against the space programme, mind you! (whilst standing by my point: that Star Trek gives insight into the ideology that drives the space programme.)
FourWinds: that's one of the most convincing arguments I've heard in favour of humans in space. I pray that they crack nuclear fusion before its too late.
Spaceship Mark: I love that Tintin story (& all Tintin stories), too! I've been a keen reader of science fiction since an early age.
All in all? I've still not managed to produce a rounded opinion on any of it!
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Riddley Walker
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Re: interstellar overdrive
Jan 09, 2004, 21:03
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I feel the real waste of money is in the trillions spent on the military in general and nuclear arms race in particular. That money is not just wasted, but spent on something actively harmful to the human race. Those are the resouces that need to be diverted elsewhere.
If this money wasn't going on space exploration, it certainly wouldn't be spent on solving world hunger or curing cancer, it would probably go into another area of the military. The point is, not having the space programme would not make the USA any more liberal or likely to help others.
I hope that by exploring the solar system, problems on our own planet may be brought into focus and differences set aside.
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