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Thread: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

  1. #11
    Will YOU be ready when the zombies rise? x88x's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    But where's the fun in that? Seriously; even if we start treating our environment better (something I'm all for, btw) and every country on earth puts severe population controls in place (something I'm vehemently against, personally), we'll eventually run out of space and resources (though probably not in that order). It may not be for another thousand years or more, but it is a fact that the resources on this planet are finite; they won't last forever. But that all aside, why shouldn't we spread ourselves to places other than Earth? Why should be limit ourselves to a single planet when we could have so much more? When we could be so much more.

    The way I see it, there are only two things that stand in the way if such a future: the belief that we first have to perfect life and society on our planet before we can even consider going anywhere else, and short-sighted people in positions of power.

    The first I mention because the most common argument I hear against the space program is "There are so many horrible things happening here on Earth. How can you justify spending resources on something like this?", or something along those lines. The answer to this is quite simple. To borrow from a philosophy that I've seen in several places, there are two ways to improve the universe: by decreasing suck and by increasing awesome. I believe that these two goals are both very important, but all too often people (and governments especially) focus exclusively on decreasing suck...and while that is a great and admirable goal, there is more to life than that. Case in point...this entire website. Case modding is one example that is almost purely increasing awesome. There are a few exceptions, such as cases being auctioned off and the proceeds going to charity, but for the most part there is not much suck being fixed by casemodding. We do it almost exclusively just to make cool things. And that is, imo, just awesome.

    The second thing, short-sighted people in positions of power, is a problem because until the last ~20 years or so, all space travel R&D has been funded almost entirely by governments. And almost all of the people in control of those programs' funding are, by necessity, relatively short-sighted people. The types of programs that would really move us forward in the endeavor to expand to places other than Earth are programs that would likely take decades to reach completion...and possibly even longer before major returns are produced....and that is not something that it is easy or likely for someone worried about getting re-elected to support because it is also not the type of program that the majority of the voting population would support. This is one reason why I do not think it is entirely a bad thing that space research is moving more and more into the private sector.
    Last edited by x88x; 06-28-2011 at 03:32 AM. Reason: typos
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  2. #12
    Mentally Underclocked mDust's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    To be honest, I think the corporations chasing profit in space will be how we get to other planets. Greed and fame have always been huge motivators in the past.

    I think NASA will always have a place in space though. Maybe they and foreign space agencies can form a sort of space UN. They can setup stepping stones that governments and corporations alike can use to reach out farther.

    A National Environment Exploration Agency wouldn't be a bad idea either. They could find patches of our planet that are known but unexplored and study them. They could use university volunteers and make thousands of discoveries a day for pennies on the dollar. If they organize the list of unemployment collectors by 'most time suckling on the system's teet' and kick out the top 1-3%...boom! There's a year or more worth of funding right there. McDonalds is always hiring anyway. Or if they have a family to support and need more money, they can work for the NEEA loading and unloading equipment and such. They can get paid to perform a job and see the world instead of watching Seinfeld reruns from the couch all day. Then we can explore the Earth and beyond at the same time!
    I'll procrastinate tomorrow.

  3. #13
    Will YOU be ready when the zombies rise? x88x's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    Quote Originally Posted by mDust View Post
    To be honest, I think the corporations chasing profit in space will be how we get to other planets. Greed and fame have always been huge motivators in the past.
    Agreed. I do, however, worry about interstellar colonization..I know, probably not going to even have its foundations started in my lifetime, but I can dream. Going from target identification to recognizance probes to actual colony ships is a process that could take a century or more, barring the discovery of a method of traveling faster than light. That is an incredibly long attention span to ask any investors, public or private, to have. I believe that we will make it eventually because, well, I just can't really see us staying cooped up in this solar system forever, but I do occasionally wonder what incentive will be required for us to take that first step. I only wish I could be one of the ones taking it.
    That we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours, and this we should do freely and generously.
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  4. #14
    100% Recycled Pixels. Twigsoffury's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    Quote Originally Posted by x88x View Post
    Agreed. I do, however, worry about interstellar colonization..I know, probably not going to even have its foundations started in my lifetime, but I can dream. Going from target identification to recognizance probes to actual colony ships is a process that could take a century or more, barring the discovery of a method of traveling faster than light. That is an incredibly long attention span to ask any investors, public or private, to have. I believe that we will make it eventually because, well, I just can't really see us staying cooped up in this solar system forever, but I do occasionally wonder what incentive will be required for us to take that first step. I only wish I could be one of the ones taking it.

    sure would be a shame to stunt that by disbanding a government space program.

  5. #15
    Local laser guy! Collinstheclown's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program


  6. #16
    Resident 100HP water-cannon operator SXRguyinMA's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    LOL!!

    on a related note - last launch tomorrow 11:26AM ET, weather permitting. Right now they're saying a 70% chance of a weather postponement, so we'll see.

  7. #17
    Spam Sniper SgtM's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    11:26 am!?!?!? I gotta go to bed! Seriously though.. tonight is my Friday. If they're launching tomorrow, I'm gonna be up for it.

  8. #18
    Resident 100HP water-cannon operator SXRguyinMA's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    I'll be watching it @ work, I already told the boss lol. They're doing the final go/no go weather check @ 1AM. If all is good they'll start fueling up @ 2

  9. #19
    Resident 100HP water-cannon operator SXRguyinMA's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    well it's fueling, still 70% chance of no-go though

  10. #20
    Spam Sniper SgtM's Avatar
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    Default Re: A farewell to the Space Shuttle program

    Watching on my phone and on CNN.

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