Space Exploration (Intellectual Thread)

[banana_sam]

Inspired by llafnwod's disappointment in my last thread, here's a new intellectual thread for you.

The topic here is space exploration and whether or not its discoveries are worth the massive costs. The NASA budget from 2003 was $15 billion dollars, which, needless to say, is a lot of money. However, that's the price you have to pay to maintain the best Space Program the world has ever seen.

Recentely, many 3rd world nations have joined the effort. The Brazillian Space Program has a budget of roughly $250 million dollars, over a 4 year plan. Other countries such as China and even India have space programs as well. As you can probably guess, these space prgrams are leaps behind NASA, and the mostly base themselves on the 1970's Apollo technology.

Because they base their programs on such outdated machinery, the only possible thing the Brazilian, Indian, and Chinese Space Programs can accomplish is rediscover data which has already been investigated by NASA 30 years ago.

However, on a positive side, as more countries develop space programs, the industry becomes much more of a global effort, as it should be. Space Exploration is an opportunity for different countries to join together in a common goal of scientific discovery (examples of this would be the International Space Station and agreements made between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Space Program).

The question is, is it worth it? From a scientific and global unity stand point, space exploration is well worth the costs... but things get fuzzy when you factor in the opportunity cost (the cost of not choosing the second best option). Couldn't NASA's $15 billion budget be better used to reinflate a US economy under the pressures of Iraqi reconstruction and baby-boomer retirement? Certainly Brazil, where over 70% of the country's wealth is held by the top 20% of the population, could better spend its $250 million on social aid programs.

I'm curious on what you think of the issue. Is space exploration worth it, or should we stop looking to the stars and start paying closer attention to our problems on earth?

EDIT: The purpose of this is not to simply state whether you are for or against space exploration, but to explain why you hold each position. ;)

[Otaku]

Worth it.

edit: Especially anything pertaining to discovering objects that could smash the basket all of our eggs are in.

[llafnwod]

Please, $15 billion is chump change. IMO, more money should be pulled out of military and be put into eeducation, health care, and, indeed, NASA. The current administration does such a ****ty job managing its money that a few billion would hardly register. And thank you, banana.
EDIT: To Otaku, the world could use a nice meteorite right about now. Bring it back to its senses.

[banana_sam]

Originally Posted by llafnwod

Please, $15 billion is chump change. IMO, more money should be pulled out of military and be put into eeducation, health care, and, indeed, NASA. The current administration does such a ****ty job managing its money that a few billion would hardly register. And thank you, banana.
EDIT: To Otaku, the world could use a nice meteorite right about now. Bring it back to its senses.

Hm, well what about the 3rd world? I assure you that $250 million to Brazil is hardly chump change :/:

Lol, and ur welcome :D

[Otaku]

Lol, yeah seriously. It'd also kill a lot of this religion bull****. REALLY bring people to their senses.

[banana_sam]

Originally Posted by Otaku

Lol, yeah seriously. It'd also kill a lot of this religion bull****. REALLY bring people to their senses.

Hm... I'm a bit confused, what do you mean by "kill a lot of this religion bull****"?

[Otaku]

Well, there goes your Rapture, etc. BYEBYE CHRISTIANITY, 2 billion people...

[llafnwod]

Originally Posted by banana_sam

Hm, well what about the 3rd world? I assure you that $250 million to Brazil is hardly chump change :/:

Lol, and ur welcome :D

I certainly agree with that, pouring proportionally vast amounts of money into space program when your a third world country is just retarded. Get your infrastructure up before you go for the big dogs.

[Otaku]

It'd be fun if the meteorite was projected to hit in 2012 :D

[banana_sam]

Originally Posted by llafnwod

I certainly agree with that, pouring proportionally vast amounts of money into space program when your a third world country is just retarded. Get your infrastructure up before you go for the big dogs.

Technically the only 'big dog' is NASA. The ESA, which is the second largest, comes no where close. But remember that space exploration could have side benefit for Brazil. The ability to launch weather and communications satellites of its own would make the Brazillian economy less dependent on the US satellite monopoly.

[llafnwod]

Originally Posted by Otaku

It'd be fun if the meteorite was projected to hit in 2012 :D

No, I've got my bets on North Korea. Let's see how these talks worth out. Ahem. Back on topic, then.

Originally Posted by banana_sam

Technically the only 'big dog' is NASA. The ESA, which is the second largest, comes no where close. But remember that space exploration could have side benefit for Brazil. The ability to launch weather and communications satellites of its own would make the Brazillian economy less dependent on the US satellite monopoly.

By big dog, I meant space programs in general, which are something of a luxury. Quite frankly, less of a dependancy on US satellites is hardly worth a large chuck of your economy.

[Otaku]

The Iraq war is like $100 billion dollars. I'd rather have that go into NASA or something. Russia's going to Mars in 2020...

[llafnwod]

Originally Posted by Otaku

The Iraq war is like $100 billion dollars. I'd rather have that go into NASA or something. Russia's going to Mars in 2020...

I sincerely doubt that.