Where to spend $2.6 Billion: in space exploration or feeding the poor?

[Servant of Jesus]

From BBC News today:

Telescopes ready for rocket ride

By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News

It will be the most valuable science launch in European spaceflight history

One of the most important launches in European spaceflight history is about to take place in French Guiana. Two telescopes with a combined value of 1.9bn euros (£1.7bn) are being sent into orbit on a single Ariane rocket. The Herschel and Planck observatories will probe the sky to glean new information about the origins and evolution of the cosmos.
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So why are we spending 1.9 billion euros ($2.6 billion) on another space telescope? Aren't there more pressing problems here on earth to solve before we worry about taking a few more pictures of stars?

 

[hiscosmicgoldfish]

Two European telescopes are about to be launched into space which are expected to solve some of the mysteries about the origins of the universe.

The Herschel and Planck observatories will be sent into orbit together from French Guinea and scientists hope they will reveal crucial stages of star birth and galaxy formation.

This will help them answer some of the most important questions in modern science, such as how did the universe begin, how did it evolve to what we see now, and how will it continue to evolve in the future?

Cosmic evolution.. something i dont accept as being true. It would be interesting to do some search for extra-solar planets, but that can be done now from the earth with adaptive optics that cancel out the earth atmosphere.
Evolutionists will deny that there is any link of biological evolution, and cosmic evolution. I was watching a video, where they show that NASA was a 'snow mask' that they put on all their night-time space images. They also tweek out the colours. They were shown when they forgot to put the mask over the image, and the totally clear image that actually exists. There is also a 20 second delay, so that they can remove anything from the live broadcast that they dont like.

 

[56Bluesman]

It sound like a relative bargain to an american like me, as far as large science projects go. I also live in a nation that has thrown far more money into the 'welfare state' war on poverty over the past 40 some years, than what NASA, our space program has gotten. I'm also aware of the many technological and medical benefits that have made life easier for us common citizens here, thanks to the many wonderful things that were developed by our space program.

I am concerned about poverty as a christian, but to be honest it's not so much about money given as the U.S. and many nations of Europe have spent enormous amounts of money on their various social welfare programs. It's really about other regions of the world living under repressive regimes, be they secular or religous in nature creating the conditions that inflict the brutal conditions and misery their people live under. Until these root causes are addressed, if they'll ever be, no amount of money will ever truly relieve the poorest of the poor beyond the first waves of aid, assuming that their governments will allow aid to come in the first place. I don't think the new European space telescope program is taking away food from the mouths of anyone. In fact it's most likely providing a good amount of decent paying jobs. As for the scientific knowledge gained, and how it's interpreted, that's a different matter.

 

[Cabal]

I am concerned but poverty as a christian, but to be honest it's not so much about money given as the U.S. and many nations of Europe have spent enormous amounts of money on their various social welfare programs. It's really about other regions of the world living under repressive regimes, be they secular or religous in nature creating the conditions that inflict the brutal conditions and misery their people live under. Until these root causes are adressed, if they'll ever be, no amount of money will ever truly relieve the poorest of the poor beyond the first waves of aid, assuming that their governments will allow aid to come in the first place. I don't think the new European space telescope program is taking away food from the mouths of anyone. In fact it's most likely providing a good amount of decent paying jobs. As for the scientific knowledge gained, and how it's interpreted, that's a different matter.

^This.

And given how much a bailout goes for these days, I think we can allow for a couple of experiments for (comparatively) peanuts.

 

[revanneosl]

Is it just me, or is anybody else knocked out by the irony of using the Internet to cast doubt on the wisdom of spending money on the space program?

 

[hiscosmicgoldfish]

Just about feeding the poor.. you'll always have the poor.

 

[Servant of Jesus]

When we come face to face with Jesus, my bet is that we will find that 99% of what we did in our life here on Earth was irrelevant.

For that matter, when we get to the end of our life and contemplate what we have done, how much will each of us remember as being important?

 

[Toclafane]

Is it just me, or is anybody else knocked out by the irony of using the Internet to cast doubt on the wisdom of spending money on the space program?

 

[Aino]

The answer is simple. Most Europeans don't believe in creationism or even God any more, but they still want to know the origin of the earth and other big questions. We as christians might not understand completely their need of knowing exactly this, but it's true. They don't believe in the answers that the Bible gives us and think it's essential to find it out in some other way of gaining knowledge of our history and comfort in front of big questions, be it some new philosophy or space science that they find a good one... Here science isthe more popular one.

Of course it's stupid that we send all the money into space instead of for example trying to sponsor farming in undeveloped countries or finding a way to cure cancer or something similar, but as long as we have all those answer-seeking atheists deciding about our money, we have no other choice than to live with it. Instead of complaining about it we could for instance start and sponsor our own projects that focus on other essential thingsn and therewith show them a good example in saving the world...

On the other hand, I also find it funny, that we complain about space science while using the internet ourselves and perhaps having the tv on in the next room. Who knows, perhaps the pictures are not going to show anything out there or perhaps the result is going to be something new and useful again or just nothing at all - at least it cannot do us any harm so let's just let them send their satellites to space!

 

[hiscosmicgoldfish]

..
If it’s got x2 the size of the main mirror, then is should be x2 resolution from the Hubble telescope. Not much reporting has been done on this scope.. first time I’ve heard about it. I think astronomy like this is a fine thing, even if the science is biased towards a secular view. Question is, will it be able to resolve anything interesting, like local stars or planets? Or isn’t that interesting any more..
.

 

[Toclafane]

..
If it’s got x2 the size of the main mirror, then is should be x2 resolution from the Hubble telescope. Not much reporting has been done on this scope.. first time I’ve heard about it. I think astronomy like this is a fine thing, even if the science is biased towards a secular view. Question is, will it be able to resolve anything interesting, like local stars or planets? Or isn’t that interesting any more..
.

You know there's only 1 local star, our sun, unless you consider 2.56890442 × 10[sup]13[/sup] miles local

 

[hiscosmicgoldfish]

You know there's only 1 local star, our sun, unless you consider 2.56890442 × 10[sup]13[/sup] miles local

I was meaning like Barnard's star.. about 6 lights years away, that's local. I do watch Star Trek you know, well actually I dont.

 

[starbrite]

Rather ask how stupid it is to spend a trillion on a war in Iraq!
How wasteful was that?
Never mind that those people will hate us forever.....after we killed a whole bunch of them off just for the oil......
The money science gets, is pitiful compared to military budgets as well as perks for the gov boys......
The poor will always be with us because of the social/economic system we perpetuate......
Besides wholl we get to die for us if we dont have poor people to join the military as a last resort for a carreer......
At least they feed you....
starbrite

 

[Servant of Jesus]

I agree there starbrite- imagine if all the money spent by the world's armies, as well as all the money we spend on "security", was instead spent on helping to reduce poverty, disease, hunger, and the other scourges of mankind.

 

[Ave Maria]

I think it should be spent feeding the poor. After all, that is most certainly what Jesus would spend it on.

 

[starbrite]

What should be spent feeding the poor?
The chump change to build and launch the telescope or the megafortune weve squandered in killing each other?
Science at least has some benefit even if at a later date...
War on the other hand, is pure waste..........
Ive often said well squander the remaining world resources fighting over them.....
Think of the many many ships that were loaded with materials then sunk on the ocean....we must have had to send twice as much stuff as was needed just to insure delivery....
The bottom of the sea must be covered with it....
The poor dont even get passing mention compared with the money weve spent dealing death.....
starbrite