walking on mars

I don't see why not. We've spent over 1 trillion dollars in Afghanistan and Iraq, we could easily save some of that money and put it towards NASA and science in general.

 

It should be the lowest priority. Sending humans to the Moon was already political posing, rather than scientific interest (confirmed even in JFK speeches). For now space exploration is cheaper and safer with as little human piloting as possible. Meanwhile we have real issues here down on Earth, which we can resolve. I suggest we clean the house before going for a walk. ;] We will enjoy the walk more, if we do that.

 

This might sound a bit selfish, but some individuals want all of this amazing advances to happen during their life time before they die. Many don't think of the effects in future generations, they primarily care about their own issues and needs.

 

There is always going to be housework. All work and no play makes life hardly worth living.

I'll bet if they scrap Mars missions, the diverted money will not be put to any better use -realistically.

I think Mars missions should be pushed "full steam ahead".

Politicians can get political milage out of it.
Scientists can get scientific knowledge out of it.
Philosophers can study it.
Children can dream about it and aspire to it.
The rest of us can enjoy hearing about it and discussing it.

Isnt' it better to have space missions captivating the world's attention, than fights over resources?

 

I am very torn on this. I would very much like to see a manned mission to mars, but right now, the world simply does not have the financial reserves to do so. We have much more important matters at home right now. I could only see it justified if and only if we had full complete plans to have a space station on the planet that can sustain humans for more then several years at a time with little to no problem. That way we can start springboarding other space achivements. Until I see this sort of plan laid out for the purposes of going to mars, I internally can't justify it beyond the "omg so cool" factor that right now is presently the only reason I want us to go.

 

But what about when the house gets destroyed by outside forces? (g.g. Gamma Ray Burst, unknown and uncharted asteroids and comets)

Goodbye house, goodbye history, goodbye future, goodbye everything.

Wouldn't it be better to step outside the house for the sake of life?

I agree with mostly everybody above.

There will be always something to do at home. The worst thing to do is get caught up in that ignoring the other side of the mountain, or in this case the entire universe out there. There is no such thing as the right or perfect time.

 

It's impossible for me to say without knowing the significance of this project. No doubt space research is important, but is the benefit worth the cost in this case? I'd have to know more.

 

The cost is money.

The benefit is life as we know it.

While we are worrying about:




It's all happening here:

 

I guess you could make good politicians or writers. Going on other planets is not inspiring, per se, but the old nationalistic propaganda still echoes. Sending people to the Moon was already quite unscientific, and many people in the science community protested at the time. Yes, it's possible, duh, so what, big [strike]dick[/strike] deal. Useless narcissism in the end. You can get all the data you need without people actually being there. When we get to terraforming, then it would be more sensible to move on. And not just a couple of astronauts - whoever wants! Your kids, my kids, and the lamest Alzheimer granny with her cats.

Meanwhile, we have tons of unexplored areas here on Earth, if it's about exploration. We have many hard places to learn to inhabit, or provide water for. Heck, nobody even knows for sure how the inner core of our own planet operates exactly: here's a really important challenge, if you seek one.

And btw the problem is not money; money is nothing. The problem is priorities, I guess, and false sense of what has been taught to be greatness.

 

Nationalistic propaganda and the whole "reaching for the stars" slogans are a little stomach churning. Nevertheless, adventure (in a sober scientific sense) and pushing one's limits is what has taken our species from the trees and to where we are now.

The aspect of manned space exploration that most appeals to me is the implicit recognition that we do not consider our position now to be our apex, but that we will keep trying to go further beyond our present selves.

 

I think researching and coming up with a plan to utilize Helium-3 from the moon, assuming it is a viable energy source, would take precedence over 'stepping' onto another planet.

Probably won't happen unless the big oil companies and whichever other companies the politicians are in bed with get dibs.