4 Responses to why is space travel not a waste of precious resources?
Elizabeth H
Professor Stephen Hawking, celebrated expert on the cosmological theories of gravity and black holes, believes that traveling into space is the only way humans will be able to survive in the long-term. He has said, “Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers … I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space.” Another of his famous quotes reiterates his position that we need to get off the planet relatively soon. “I don’t think the human race will survive the next 1,000 years unless we spread into space.”
Quite.
Other than jetting around inside the Magnetosphere, space travel is impossible.
There is too much Radiation in space and no one can agree on what to do about it. The Moonshot was so brief it wasn’t a problem. 2 years in outer space is a problem.
Spacecraft are about 1,000,000 mph too slow to be useful in Human Spaceflight and no one can agree on what to do about it.
It’s for these reasons people think it’s a waste. But in reality it is too small to make much difference.
I used to support the Space Program, but now I see that it will never be possible for average people to go for ride.
So as far as a “Waste”, it is more like a “Rich Boy toy.”
Professor Stephen Hawking, celebrated expert on the cosmological theories of gravity and black holes, believes that traveling into space is the only way humans will be able to survive in the long-term. He has said, “Life on Earth is at the ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by a disaster such as sudden global warming, nuclear war, a genetically engineered virus or other dangers … I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space.” Another of his famous quotes reiterates his position that we need to get off the planet relatively soon. “I don’t think the human race will survive the next 1,000 years unless we spread into space.”
Other than jetting around inside the Magnetosphere, space travel is impossible.
There is too much Radiation in space and no one can agree on what to do about it. The Moonshot was so brief it wasn’t a problem. 2 years in outer space is a problem.
Spacecraft are about 1,000,000 mph too slow to be useful in Human Spaceflight and no one can agree on what to do about it.
It’s for these reasons people think it’s a waste. But in reality it is too small to make much difference.
I used to support the Space Program, but now I see that it will never be possible for average people to go for ride.
So as far as a “Waste”, it is more like a “Rich Boy toy.”
Apart+from+the+reasons+that+Elisabeth+H.+mentioned+%28that+I+totally+agree%29+we+should+consider+space+exploration+something+like+F1+racing.+Many+of+the+safety+and+performance+technologies+developed+for+F1+are+later+adopted+by+the+%22commercial%22+car+industry+to+our+benefit+and+safety.%0AThe+complicated+physics+and+mechanics+that+are+necessary+for+space+shuttles+to+fly%2C+find+usage+to+our+everyday+life+in+many+ways.%0APlease+check+out+the+source%2C+for+more+details.
It+depends+on+what+you+mean+by+space+travel.%0A%0AThe+private+space+industry+generates+tens+of+billions+of+dollars+per+year+worldwide+in+commerce.++We+use+private+spacecraft+for+critical+observation%2C+location%2C+and+communication+tasks.++Not+only+does+it+fail+to+use+up+precious+resources%2C+it+creates+precious+resources.%0A%0AThe+public+space+programs+of+various+countries+tend+to+implement+scientific+and+exploratory+functions.++It%27s+wrong+to+think+that+these+must+operate+at+a+profit%2C+or+that+there+should+be+some+clear+cost-benefit+analysis+that+justifies+them.%0A%0AFirst%2C+the+%22precious+resources%22+they+consume+really+don%27t+amount+to+much.++Consider+the+big-ticket+items+in+the+U.S.+budget%3A++defense%2C+education%2C+and+entitlement.++Each+of+those+components+dwarf%27s+NASA%27s+entire+budget+by+at+least+an+order+of+magnitude.++Because+space+exploration+tends+to+revolve+around+equipment+with+big-ticket+price+tags%2C+it+conveys+the+impression+that+it+is+a+very+expensive+proposition.++It+isn%27t.++The+other+expenditures+of+resources+spread+themselves+out+and+produce+rather+non-visible+results.++So+we+tend+not+to+appreciate+their+magnitude.%0A%0ASecond%2C+we+don%27t+explore+because+it%27s+a+profitable+endeavor.++Instead+we+explore+because+it%27s+a+basic+human+compulsion.++Even+subsistence+cultures+expend+resources+on+such+%22extraneous%22+things+as+art+and+music%2C+because+it+is+in+the+human+nature+to+require+them.++Humans+are+exploratory+creatures.++We+are+a+favored+species+in+the+Darwinian+sense+because+our+curiosity+leads+us+to+appreciate+our+surroundings+more.++We+explore+because+we+can%27t+help+it%2C+therefore+it+is+not+a+waste+of+resources+to+do+so.