- Joined
- Sep 22, 2005
- Messages
- 11,430
- Reaction score
- 2,282
- Location
- Los Angeles
- Gender
- Male
- Political Leaning
- Independent
Here's the hard question:
why?
Not hard for me. Why not?!?! Exploring is what Americans do, and we never know what may be found or the benfits that may arrive with it unless we go. But hey, I am a scientist (Microbiologist), I am always ready to see what is over the horizon.
Here's the hard question:
why?
Good enough for me. IMO the moon is a necessary first step, I don't disagree with the ultimate goal.
Here's another question:
Do you foresee lawsuits from various "environmental" groups seeking to ban direct human and mechanical exploration of Mars, in the courts and legislatively, if actual Martian micro-organisms are found (let alone anything more complex)?
Not hard for me. Why not?!?! Exploring is what Americans do, and we never know what may be found or the benfits that may arrive with it unless we go. But hey, I am a scientist (Microbiologist), I am always ready to see what is over the horizon.
There is nothing that human astronauts can do on other worlds, which robots can't do more efficiently, cheaply, easily, and safely.
Sure they can. They can inspire. They can say "today, a human being has set foot on another world." They can open up a sense of wonder, adventure, and enterprise that no robot will ever do.
If you think that's unimportant, than that's a pity.
Sure, that's important. But it's not worth a trillion dollars, and there's no reason it has to be done NOW. Let's talk about it in 25-30 years when we're actually able to do it without spending a fortune.
I'm a physicist, and I wouldn't support currently an attempt at a manned mission to Mars. There's no reason for it now, and there's a lot more science to do here. Plus, there's relatively no point right now. Robots can do it for us for the time being.
what was the point of going to the moon?
what was the point of going to the moon?
Defeat communism. There's nothing up there, I don't really see any benefit to setting up anything really on the moon now.
When you're always looking for reasons to wait, nothing ever happens.
what was the point of going to the moon?
People who get caught up in the idea that it MUST serve some kind of scientific purpose or there's no reason to go drive me nuts. The achievement itself is a worthy human goal, with potential benefits that we can't even imagine yet. Worry about applications later. There is no question the bounty of developments will give us things we've never even thought about.
Harshaw said:The "what good will it serve? We've got other fish to fry, and besides, we can do this, this, and this already" mentality is the same one which has held back progress throughout history.
Harshaw said:Looking at things "rationally," there was no reason for man to fly; transportation was well-covered. There was no reason for Lindbergh to fly to Europe; trans-Atlantic travel was fully-perfected.
There was no reason for the automobile. There was no "real reason" for a lot of things we have today, but thankfully, people did them anyway.
Harshaw said:The "wait, wait, wait" mentality isn't very imaginative and will get us nowhere. It's a bean-counter approach preferred by mousy guys in sweater vests. Might be "practical," but it's stifling. And boring. And stagnating.