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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Senate Space Exploration: Waste of Resources or Mankind's Last Hope?

Discussion in 'Community' started by Rylo Ken, Feb 28, 2017.

  1. Rylo Ken

    Rylo Ken Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2015
  2. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    I'd happily volunteer to be sent into space. Only on the promise I don't get to return.
     
  3. Rylo Ken

    Rylo Ken Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2015
    you can help me colonize Trappist-1 e
     
    dp4m likes this.
  4. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012

    Sure.
    The cold, empty, lifeless void of space is a better option than this planet.
     
  5. Rylo Ken

    Rylo Ken Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Dec 19, 2015


    "American footprints on distant worlds are not too big a dream."

    lolol
     
  6. Jabba-wocky

    Jabba-wocky Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    May 4, 2003
    He sounds like something out of one of our "Go Science" threads. Which also fits tonally in the level of ambient sexism.
     
  7. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    What's funny about this? Could you spell it out to me?

    Progress in space travel is just about the most important goal for our species after regulating climate change. Just because it's Trump saying it doesn't mean it's a bad idea.
     
  8. SuperWatto

    SuperWatto Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 19, 2000
    It's definitely too big a dream for him.
     
  9. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    There isn't really any realistic goal that could be attained by sending humans to a bunch of lifeless rocks instead of sending much cheaper robots. Colonization/terraforming and feasible interstellar travel are pipe dreams.
     
    Alpha-Red likes this.
  10. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    Large scale colonization would require magic.
     
  11. Lord Vivec

    Lord Vivec Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Apr 17, 2006
    There's going to be no space colonization. The most we'll have is maybe a moonbase which serves the same purpose as the international space station.
     
  12. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Darth Guy

    No, not really.

    Global cooperation, shared resources and technology might make the Moon or Mars feasible. But, that involves governments actively working together to achieve it (which is quite slim at the moment)
     
    Darth_Voider likes this.
  13. Diggy

    Diggy Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Feb 27, 2013
    Oh ye of little faith. Warp drive is only 46 years away.
     
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  14. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    It would take an enormous amount of resources just to move the people and supplies (i.e., everything a colony would need), even accounting for more efficient methods. This is not even considering what it would (theoretically) take to, say, terraform a planet. It would be a waste, if it were doable at all. If global cooperation were achieved and we could take on great challenges, I think humanity's efforts would be best directed elsewhere on the only planet that can actually support us.
     
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  15. Lord Vivec

    Lord Vivec Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Apr 17, 2006
    [​IMG]
     
    Diggy likes this.
  16. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012

    You pessimistic space heathen

    We're on a dying ball a dirt, which is gradually getting hotter as each decade passes. Even we ensure humanity survives on in space, or die off as an insignificant dot in the endless void. Only thing keeping us from trying is a lack of ambition and fear.
     
  17. SuperWatto

    SuperWatto Chosen One star 7

    Registered:
    Sep 19, 2000
    Maybe we can all agree that it is good news that Trump is not disbanding NASA just yet.
     
    True Sith, Ghost, Lord Vivec and 3 others like this.
  18. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    Yeah, you see, inevitably talk about space colonization turns to escaping an extinction of our own making. Sorry, Earth is all we have.
     
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  19. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012

    I agree.


    Those of the words of a closed mind. Humanity has so much potential.
     
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  20. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    It's not "close minded" to ridicule the philosophy behind being ready to zip off every time we **** things up.

    We have the potential to save our home from ourselves.
     
  21. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    How though? Enlighten me with your ideas.
     
  22. Darth Guy

    Darth Guy Chosen One star 10

    Registered:
    Aug 16, 2002
    Really? You think we can establish self-sustaining, humanity-sustaining colonies on planets whose atmospheres we cannot breathe and you want me to enlighten you as to why I think climate change could be successfully mitigated (to be clear, I don't think it will be)?
     
  23. KnightWriter

    KnightWriter Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 6, 2001
    Isn't a bit like someone saying that they just can't run or walk a mile a day, but that they can also run a sub-three hour marathon?
     
    EHT likes this.
  24. DANNASUK

    DANNASUK Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2012
    Yeah. I do.

    NASA, ESA and the Russian are have feasible plans for a small Lunar outpost, which could gradually be increased to a colony. Similar studies have been drawn up for Mars, too.

    Your point?
     
    V-2 likes this.
  25. V-2

    V-2 Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Dec 10, 2012
    How about the goal of putting humans on Mars? How does a robot (not a human) do that more realistically? Who said anything about colonisation? We can't even think about colonisation or terraforming until we've confirmed there is no life.

    A human can do a robot's job much faster, more efficiently, more independently, intuitively, and more creatively. A task that takes a rover hours or even days/weeks could be done by a human in an EVA suit in a matter of minutes. Having realtime human control of a spacecraft that's otherwise light-minutes away from mission control means landing is much safer and far more likely to be successful. Having scientists replace mindless robots is a far more efficient way of doing science.

    Robotics hasn't progressed at the rate it was predicted in the 70s, it's not cheaper/faster/more efficient to develop AI than to train a human at university. Manned spaceflight above LEO essentially stopped in the 70s. The 70s argument that we could make better use of money fixing problems on Earth has been proven false. The benefits of manned spaceflight are economic, social, cultural, scientific and technological. Much of the technologies we enjoy today have their origins in advances made in manned spaceflight. Technological advances that will allow us to walk on Mars (or build airships in the habitable zone of Venus's atmosphere, or whatever) would have an even greater effect than all the advances we enjoy resulting from the Apollo program.

    Just because Trump says a thing does not mean you need to be ideologically opposed to whatever that thing is. Sense of perspective, people!
     
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