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Has NASA Outlived it's Usefulness?

Has NASA outlived its usefulness

  • Yes

    Votes: 8 11.8%
  • No

    Votes: 60 88.2%

  • Total voters
    68
I'm all for exploration---but think we have so much here that has not been developed yet, as do others.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc7x79kJ1S0"]YouTube- Future by Design Trailer, William Gazecki Director[/ame]
 
I don’t care if you believe in evolution, or Darwin’s theory, it’s in mankind’s genes to wonder what’s across yonder ocean, over the next mountain, desert, or glacier. We pretty well have that covered on this planet, google earth anyone? Thanks Uncle Sam. Weather satellites, again uncle’s research I believe is mostly responsible. So what’s next? It has to be space, and until we find a less expensive source of fuel about the only way that can be done is with government help.

Not saying that it should be the only way and definitely not saying that we should lock out the private sector, indeed, there should be some incentive for private sector development, which I believe there is. my 2c
 
I don’t care if you believe in evolution, or Darwin’s theory, it’s in mankind’s genes to wonder what’s across yonder ocean, over the next mountain, desert, or glacier. We pretty well have that covered on this planet, google earth anyone? Thanks Uncle Sam. Weather satellites, again uncle’s research I believe is mostly responsible. So what’s next? It has to be space, and until we find a less expensive source of fuel about the only way that can be done is with government help.

Not saying that it should be the only way and definitely not saying that we should lock out the private sector, indeed, there should be some incentive for private sector development, which I believe there is. my 2c
Well Sir, I sure respect your views on things. ---I guess my leanings are more on the Private sector for everything. They always have more incentive to get things done on time and on budget. Since is is their money on the line. The gubment makes them $200 hammers we all read about. Just to big, and to wasteful to be considered efficient. Gubment has to many committees. Einstein worked alone.
 
NASA in it's inception was a good Idea, and I fully supported them. but times have changed. we have found out what we needed to know about space.---It costs a lot to operate there, and other than some future mining operations, does not offer enough to justify the expense of operating there. ---with new technologies it may one day, but not today. When NASA came to be, we had a stronger more stable economy. Today we have to keep a closer eye on spending, and direct our limited funds into projects that will give a more immediate return for the dollar. Just wise budgeting in my opinion.

You mean that we have found out what you wanted to know. Which apparently isn't that much? We haven't even begun to fully explore our own solar system. Heck we're still finding things out about Earth that we didn't know 20 years ago. Do you seriously think that just a few probes sending back some pictures and a couple of landings on the moon is enough to decide the fate of a program that has and continues to give so much to our technological and knowledge advancement?

While I certainly agree that we need to fix a lot of things here on Earth the amount of funding that NASA gets wouldn't do anything towards fixing those things. Because comparatively speaking the funding that NASA gets is literally a drop in a 20 gallon drum.
 
they say to just give a Guy enough rope, and he will do himself in.
 
Retire the old School bus with wings. this is the Future of space travel--

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4h247PPOrY&feature=PlayList&p=525D2FF281EDE85F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=4"]YouTube- Virgin Galactic promotional trailer starring Richard Branson[/ame]
 
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we have found out what we needed to know about space.---

.........Considering we haven't actually fully explored or even been to any of the planets in our own solar system, I find this statement to be kind of, you know. False.
 
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.........Considering we haven't actually fully explored or even been to any of the planets in our own solar system, I find this statement to be kind of, you know. False.
We can tell all we need to know, with out the expense of boots on the ground. We know their composition, temperature, orbits, and just about everything else there is to know, from prior exploration, which was a good thing. ---the results were less than impressive. There is nothin there of value, other than mining. Not one Walmart, of the Jetsons or anything. ---How much would it cost, to bring back a ton of ore from a distant Planet. ---right, to much.
 
We can tell all we need to know, with out the expense of boots on the ground.

Who said anything about boots on the ground? You've been saying that NASA has outlived its usefulness. You do realize that NASA does lots of unmanned missions, don't you? In fact, the vast majority of our knowledge of the solar system comes from unmanned missions.

Skateguy said:
We know their composition, temperature, orbits, and just about everything else there is to know, from prior exploration, which was a good thing.

This is flat-out false. Most of the solar system's worlds have not been explored. By my count, we've sent probes to Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Titan. We also have a very basic knowledge of Ganymede, Io, Callisto, Uranus, and Neptune. That's it.

Skateguy said:
the results were less than impressive. There is nothin there of value, other than mining.

Define "value." Scientific knowledge isn't worth anything to you?

Skateguy said:
Not one Walmart, of the Jetsons or anything. ---How much would it cost, to bring back a ton of ore from a distant Planet. ---right, to much.

NASA does not exist to harvest ore from distant worlds at a profit, so once again this is a ridiculous strawman.
 
It boils down to this.--If I seek knowledge, I will find it own my own. I would never expect the Gubment, nor the Tax payers to fund my education.---We have lots to explore and develop right here at home, in my opinion. ---Personally I no longer have the fascination with Space, as I once did. Now that I'm pretty sure there is no intelligent life in our solar system. ---And after seeing Avatar for the second time, I'm not sure the inhabitants of another world would do well to welcome us. --we do have a pattern it seems.---but if you would like to fund such projects, please, be my guest.
 
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It boils down to this.--If I seek knowledge, I will find it own my own. I would never expect the Gubment, nor the Tax payers to fund my education.---We have lots to explore and develop right here at home, in my opinion. ---Personally I no longer have the fascination with Space, as I once did. Now that I'm pretty sure there is no intelligent life in our solar system. ---And after seeing Avatar for the second time, I'm not sure the inhabitants of another world would do well to welcome us. --we do have a pattern it seems.---but if you would like to fund such projects, please, be my guest.

To part in bold. Neither would I. However I would expect them to do everything that they can to make human life better. By continuing NASA they are advancing that cause....far better than any of their other projects imo. I've yet to see any other government run project that has not cost more than NASA and yet has achieved as much as NASA.
 
NASA has become obsolete. They were relevant 30 years ago. today they are fat and bloated, not to mention top heavy. they are to comfortable in their stale position. were new private enterprises are now the cutting edge of technology.--NASA is to old and fat to keep up with Knew Kids on the block. ---when Kennedy said to go to the Moon, he had no idea what to do when we got there. He was simply trying to one up the Russians, at our expense. What good has any of those Moon trips done us?? People didn't even watch the last one, cause it was just more of the same ole thing. tomorrow is in front of us, not behind us.
 
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Being not to far from the Kennedy Space Center on a recent trip to Florida to visit the folks, I considered a trip over there to see their museum. I did, that is, until I saw the price tag for a ticket (well over $40.00!). O.K. I might have paid it, but I couldn't help questioning that my tax dollars pay for NASA, but I have to pay again to see what my tax dollars are doing? Anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?
 
Being not to far from the Kennedy Space Center on a recent trip to Florida to visit the folks, I considered a trip over there to see their museum. I did, that is, until I saw the price tag for a ticket (well over $40.00!). O.K. I might have paid it, but I couldn't help questioning that my tax dollars pay for NASA, but I have to pay again to see what my tax dollars are doing? Anyone else see anything wrong with this picture?

Yes. They want the money from the tourists. Those SOBs.
 
But they already got my money to build it. ;)

They could always use more....and really the price is there for the foreigners who are not americans. But they should really change that and make the foreigners pay the 40$ and the americans should pay 0. In Europe when I went the price for a Eurorail global pass-for a month-was 570e. The members of the EU pay just 130e. A huge disparity.
 
When Burt Ru tan gets his Public space ships up and going, I want to go. NASA has no plans for any of us regular people to ever take a flight. Unless we pay millions to do so. Taking off and landing without all the antiquated and expensive old school rockets, is the way of the future. I saw that back in the 70s. the whole system seemed out of date, even back then. A "Space Ship" should be more than just a Glider. Capt Kirk would have been most disappointed.
 
Tell me Skateguy,

What makes you think that private capital will finance the necessary research and development to build long range interstellar vehicles for manned missions to places that are 1) highly dangerous and 2) no reasonable assurance of profit.

Based on your arguments, it does appear you don't understand what capitalism is or how it operates as you believe that capitalism will finance operations that have no reasonable assurance of profit.
 
Tell me Skateguy,

What makes you think that private capital will finance the necessary research and development to build long range interstellar vehicles for manned missions to places that are 1) highly dangerous and 2) no reasonable assurance of profit.

Based on your arguments, it does appear you don't understand what capitalism is or how it operates as you believe that capitalism will finance operations that have no reasonable assurance of profit.

oh, I love to use quotes to describe something. Here is a quote on capitalism-so skateguy gets a better understanding-by a famous economist.
"Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone. "
John Maynard Keynes
 
90.63% of the people in the poll disagree with you Skatguy. So even if we were to put it up to a vote like you suggested earlier NASA would still not be shut down. By quite a large margin. Sorry, in this case what you want and what you think doesn't matter.
 
Tell me Skateguy,

What makes you think that private capital will finance the necessary research and development to build long range interstellar vehicles for manned missions to places that are 1) highly dangerous and 2) no reasonable assurance of profit.

Based on your arguments, it does appear you don't understand what capitalism is or how it operates as you believe that capitalism will finance operations that have no reasonable assurance of profit.
By readin your stement, I can't tell which side you are on. Private enterprise is exploring space, and for a profit. NASA, is just resting on it's Laurals, and doing little or nothin, on the tax payers dime. ---As far as going to places that are dangerous, or non profitable, I see no good reason to go there. do you?
 
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