The Space Programme?

[Presbyterian Continuist]

The space programme reminds me of an ant crawling up a blade of grass, calling out to the other ants, "I'm exploring the world!" when they haven't even started exploring the lawn!!

 

[Carl Emerson]

Yes and claiming to be discovering the origins of the universe to keep funding going.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Yes and claiming to be discovering the origins of the universe to keep funding going.

Once Explorer 1 gets right out into deep space and its batteries run out, it will be just an expensive piece of space junk that will burn up in Alpha Centauri in around 170,000 years!

 

[LynnSmith]

We can see from our back yard when rockets take off. I see so much money just flying away. Central Florida has a major homeless problem. Hmmmm... where could money come from to help??

 

[trophy33]

Exploration is a basic part of human nature.

 

[lasthero]

The space programme reminds me of an ant crawling up a blade of grass, calling out to the other ants, "I'm exploring the world!" when they haven't even started exploring the lawn!!

We have to start somewhere.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

We have to start somewhere.

What's the point if to get anywhere, it is going to take hundreds of years for man to get past the solar system, and then where will he go? The nearest star is 170,000 years away, and we don't know if there is anything when we get there, but if something is found, it will take 170,000 years to get back to tell anyone about it.

 

[lasthero]

What's the point if to get anywhere, it is going to take hundreds of years for man to get past the solar system, and then where will he go? The nearest star is 170,000 years away, and we don't know if there is anything when we get there, but if something is found, it will take 170,000 years to get back to tell anyone about it.

There’s still plenty of things in our own solar system we have to learn about and explore. Besides, gathering information increases our understanding of the universe.

What’s wrong with wanting to know more about the universe we live in?

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

There’s still plenty of things in our own solar system we have to learn about and explore. Besides, gathering information increases our understanding of the universe.

What’s wrong with wanting to know more about the universe we live in?

So the ant observing the blade of grass increases its understanding of the world?

 

[lasthero]

So the ant observing the blade of grass increases its understanding of the world?

He knows more than the lazy ones who stayed on the ground.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

He knows more than the lazy ones who stayed on the ground.

The point I am making is that the space programme is spending trillions of dollars and will ultimately achieve nothing of value.

 

[lasthero]

The point I am making is that the space programme is spending trillions of dollars and will ultimately achieve nothing of value.

The space program hasn’t spent a trillion dollars in its entire existence. And it has achieved many things of value.

 

[trophy33]

The point I am making is that the space programme is spending trillions of dollars and will ultimately achieve nothing of value.

Space programme' inventions we use in our daily life:

- memory foams
- baby formulas
- dustbusters
- space blankets
- freeze drying
- cochlear implants
- camera phones
- scratch-resistant glasses
- LEDs
- athletic shoes
- water purification systems
- wireless headsets
- smoke detectors
- artificial limbs
- portable computers
- satellite TVs
- teflon
- insuline pumps,
- GPS, Glonass, Galileo systems
- more precise weather forecast and efficient agricultural management thanks to data from satellites

... and many others. The most precious is, of course, the knowledge about the universe, about our planet, about our atmosphere and about our solar system which is used in endless number of ways in various areas of our life.

 

[Kenny'sID]

I suppose a lot of it depends on our faith. Wrong or right, to me, getting into space and even going to the moon would be irresistible even to the Christian. But even if going beyond that would be tempting, as far as I'm concerned it's pretty much enough is enough.

To the Atheist we are on our own, and as far as we know, we'll be here forever, so we need to find other ways of sustaining life once it all runs out, and maybe trying to live forever, even more reason to sustain many. So since those answers don't appear to be here on earth, we have to start looking beyond now, before it's too late.

As Christians, we know it's biblical that before the end, the world/earth will not be in terrible turmoil when it comes to not enough space. People will be buying/selling as usual, working in the fields such as in the days of Noah and all will seem fine, so why bother trying to fix things?

 

[Desk trauma]

We can see from our back yard when rockets take off. I see so much money just flying away. Central Florida has a major homeless problem. Hmmmm... where could money come from to help??

Not the fraction of a cent per federal tax dollar sent to NASA.

 

[Larniavc]

The space programme reminds me of an ant crawling up a blade of grass, calling out to the other ants, "I'm exploring the world!" when they haven't even started exploring the lawn!!

Very true. Trying to explore and learn is a terrible thing.

 

[lasthero]

Very true. Trying to explore and learn is a terrible thing.

The sad thing is, the more I hang out on these forums, the more I’m starting to suspect there are people who legit believe this.

 

[Ophiolite]

Once Explorer 1 gets right out into deep space and its batteries run out, it will be just an expensive piece of space junk that will burn up in Alpha Centauri in around 170,000 years!

Its probably worth knowing something about what you are saying before hitting the Post key.
1. Explorer 1, the first US satellite to reach orbit went nowhere near deep space. It remained in Earth orbit until 1970.
2. Batteries? Deep space probes have, thus far, been powered by thermoelectric radioisotope generators.
3. None of the five spacecraft (Pioneer10 & 11, Voyager 1 and 2, New Horizons) that are travelling fast enough to leave the solar system are headed in the direction of Alpha Centauri.

Apart from that, your post seemed quite accurate.

 

[USincognito]

Yes and claiming to be discovering the origins of the universe to keep funding going.

Yeah, that's the only reason that Cosmologists and Astrophysicists are doing their jobs.

 

[USincognito]

Once Explorer 1 gets right out into deep space and its batteries run out, it will be just an expensive piece of space junk that will burn up in Alpha Centauri in around 170,000 years!

Explorer 1 deorbited in 1970. It had never left earth's orbit.