Why isn't more money and resources put into space exploration?

[BigBoss]

We go about our days stressing over bullshit. When in reality, we're so insignificant to the grand scheme of things. We live an average of 70 years. That's 70 years on a planet that's been around 4.5 billion years. Take that in.

Now go further.

The Hubble telescope has found a planet that's 14.5 billion years old :biggums:

The observable universe is 46 billion light years in radius :biggums:

One light year = 5878000000000 miles.

http://waitbutwhy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Stars-small.jpg

You are in this picture. Take that in.



It took billions of year to go from a cell to an intelligent human being to be able to put together what we know of the universe to take this picture of Mars.

http://3dprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/mars-feat.jpg


Why are we growing at such a slow pace? What is our limits as human beings?

I feel our attention is really wack. The total amount spent on space exploration a year is just $25 billion.

The Iraq War cost 6 trillion :biggums:
The Manhattan/Atomic Bomb project cost to an equivalent of 50 billion dollars :biggums:
The porn industry generates 14 bllion a year :biggums:.

We need to put more money/resources into understanding the universe. We've harnessed so much from our own world. Imagine what we could harness if we knew more. It's not about space exploration and the romanticism behind it. Part of me is super sad that I wont witness the evolution of man 1 billion years from now. Imagine the crazy shit they'll know then.

[JohnFreeman]

As much as space is cool, there isn't really anything to help us on Earth

[MavsSuperFan]

As much as space is cool, there isn't really anything to help us on Earth

Wrong research all of the inventions that happened because of the space program.

To answer the OP, the benefits of investing in space exploration (primarly the technological progress) can take decades to bear fruit.

That timeline is too extended for any private business and with our short election cycle too long for our government.

A competent dictatorship like china that can make massive infrastructure investments as they please, will be the type of country that leads the space exploration process.

http://www.problem-solving-techniques.com/US-Space-Program.html
A short list of the benefits of the space program

[MadeFromDust]

because Obomma decommissioned nasa. Gee...THANKS oBOMMa :/

[Joshumitsu]

It'll take some time. Just investing a shit ton of money all at once can be foolhardy for both the short term and long term.

People think if we just invest a trillion dollars, we'll have Warp Drives in 50-100 years. It doesn't work that way. Technology isn't a linear path.

Right now, we need to focus on other shit first, then we can put resources into space (US is still #1 in R&D spending btw).

[Trollsmasher]

we will be extinct by the end of this century, stop worrying about an unachievable bullshit

and as was said above, we dont magically become capable of space travel by investing, currently possible concepts are laughable in grand scheme

[bdreason]

Until we can figure how to AT LEAST travel at the speed of light, we shouldn't waste any more time or resources on space exploration. Continuing to send rockets into space isn't going to accomplish shit. We need some major scientific breakthroughs.

[ace23]

OP's body should be used for experimental scientific research.

[DeuceWallaces]

There are much more pressing needs at home; it's a waste of money.

[DukeDelonte13]

There are much more pressing needs at home; it's a waste of money.


i'm not saying you are necessarily wrong but i hate that mentality.

Nasa actually does have a small team working on warp drive experiments now based on the Alcubierre warp drive.

A lot of what we use in computing and telecommunications comes directly from space related research projects.

It's humanity's destiny to colonize other planets, and we theoretically could already send people to Mars.

Also our military benefits immensely from NASA's research and also vice versa.

Crazy thing that happened a year or two ago, US military donated two space telescopes to NASA that were both more powerful than Hubble. There is way more space funding than just what goes into NASA.

[DeuceWallaces]

The title said space exploration, not all of NASA. I know they do lots of research, in fact I work with NASA Goddard quite a bit, but spending billions to launch rockets into space is a waste of money when they could be improving our civil infrastructure, schools, and saving decaying Midwestern and other rustbelt cities.

[russwest0]

Agreed. If we just cut all foreign war spending in general we'd have so much more money to feed and educate the poor along with exploring outer space much more than we currently are.

Unfortunately these corporate elected government officials don't operate with a mindset like this.

[DukeDelonte13]

The title said space exploration, not all of NASA. I know they do lots of research, in fact I work with NASA Goddard quite a bit, but spending billions to launch rockets into space is a waste of money when they could be improving our civil infrastructure, schools, and saving decaying Midwestern and other rustbelt cities.


I think pushing the envelope should be a huge chunk of what NASA should be doing. Russians and private companies already do a better job of shooting rockets into space.

I think once NASA started the shuttle program private companies ceased utilizing NASA and NASA only were doing launches for research and military purposes.

[~primetime~]

I hate it when some people equate our mass/size or in this case our life span relative to the rest of universe to us being "insignificant".

Perhaps we are insignificant to the rest of the universe, but who gives a fck about that? One human's significance to OTHER HUMANS is the same no matter what exists outside of Earth, no matter how big it is, and no matter how long it has been around.

[BigBoss]

^Are you okay with not contributing to our evolution and being completely forgotten 100 years from now?

[Godzuki]

all we've been focused on monetarily for the last 10~ years has been our deficit with mass paranoia of our country going under(we just recovered from borderline financial collapse) and wars, so space program funding in light of that isn't going to get much love.

the other thing to the space program is there is no quantifying what we get for the amount we put in. In fact most of that investment would probably be expected to be wasted with no returns other than pretty pictures of planets and soil.

given all of the more immediate issues we have on our plate right now, space program can wait.

[BigBoss]

Didn't read thread, because op is too stupid to resize his pics.

I actually specifically did that to piss you off. I don't really care about space and the Earth's evolution.

[Meticode]

More money isn't put into the space program now because there's no competition in it anymore. The only reason we ever went to the moon is because there was a nuclear race and space race between Russia and the United States to get there. It lit a fire under our ass and we got it done.

Nowadays you have politicians trying to make the quarterly budget and we're trillions of dollars in debt.

I personally think know need to invest into the space program more. The end result I feel would inspire thinkers and more scientists, more engineers. The very string of our species survival could be if we can sufficiently travel out into space (even for short periods of time until the earth settles down, such as an asteroid collision).

When the space program was first thought up and invested into, it spawned so many inventions and scientist of different fields, those alone paid dividends.

Those who are against it saying we need to pay attention to things here on Earth don't realize that hoping and dreaming about questions out there makes us realize how important Earth is.

After the great Earth rise shot that spawned Earth Day and so many other things to help conserve the earth. It makes you wonder how much more polluted would the earth be if this picture never got taken...

http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/eoc/special_topics/teach/sp_climate_change/images/earthrise.jpg

[Jailblazers7]

Not sure if Meticode is trying to be funny or if he is seriously trying to rip off Neil DeGrasse Tyson with that post.

[Meticode]

Not sure if Meticode is trying to be funny or if he is seriously trying to rip off Neil DeGrasse Tyson with that post.
The second one. I strongly believe we should reinvest into the space program somewhat. Maybe now isn't the best time. Tyson just puts it in the best choice of words.

[Rasheed1]

In our current state the human race isn't mature enough to go any further in regards to space travel and exploration..

Its like the Colts coach once said "Playoffs??"

someone said earlier.. there are many problems here on earth that we need to resolve before we start looking to space.. doesn't mean we can look to develop concepts that help in space travel, but we have to mature as a race of beings before we look to really up to the next level.. There are a lot of reason the money isn't there, and when you consider those reasons? you see why we aren't ready.

[Cowboy Thunder]

ITT:

a couple of people who are going to see Interstellar on opening night. :cheers: brews

[MadeFromDust]

Until we can figure how to AT LEAST travel at the speed of light, we shouldn't waste any more time or resources on space exploration. Continuing to send rockets into space isn't going to accomplish shit. We need some major scientific breakthroughs.
Already been done. In fact, many times the speed of light observed. :pimp:

[Nanners]

mars is currently inhabited by robots