importance of space program's?

[FearlessLeader2]

Some of these points have already been made, but repetition for emphasis is a legitimate teaching tool.

Top Ten reasons why space exploration is a good thing:

10) It gives the federal government something better to spend money on than welfare.

9) It moves some of our eggs out of the basket, and into other baskets.

8) Resources. The asteroid belt has enough iron and other metals in it to satsify our needs in that department until long after we've researched nanotechnology that will make almost all other techs obsolete. The methane moons of Jupiter and Saturn could completely supply earth's petroleum requirements well into the rest of time. That's right, oil. If you drill it, we will come.

7) Research. Micro-gravity offers unique opportunities to examine process that take much longer on earth.

6) Longevity. Research indicates that geriatric patients can live longer, healthiers lives, in lower-gee environments.

5) Ecology. In the process of developing methods to recycle and purify air, food, and water in space, where all resources are at a premium, we will learn how to do the same on earth.

4) Health. By the same token, new medical technologies will extend and improve human living conditions on earth.

3) Knowledge. In addition to the practical science applications, we can just plain learn new things. Knowledge is always useful. Maybe not right away, but eventually, it comes in handy.

2) Curiousity. Aren't you just dying to find out what is out there? I am.

And the number one reason why space exploration is a good thing is:

1) 'Cause I said so, that's why.

 

[knowltok]

I'm with you FL2. I'm not sure about the oil thing, but I'd say there is something out there to handle our energy needs. Almost all of our energy is solar at its root and is only what this speck of a planet has been able to capure over the years. Now think about the sun and all the energy it is pumping out in every direction all the time. The rest of our energy comes from atomic energy, and there is a lot more mass out there than there is here.

Go Up young man!

 

[CornMaster]

I agree with every point except number 10.

More money should be spend on welfare.

But the rest of the points are excellent!!!

 

[Suppersalmon]

we should go in to space we could have thi if we do [plasma]

 

[FearlessLeader2]

Originally posted by CornMaster
I agree with every point except number 10.

More money should be spend on welfare.

But the rest of the points are excellent!!!

They were all brilliant points, especially numbers 1 and 10. Welfare is EVIL. It robs the recipient of every basic need to become self-sufficient, while creating dependency upon the system that pretends to help him.

Originally posted by knowltok
I'm with you FL2. I'm not sure about the oil thing, but I'd say there is something out there to handle our energy needs. Almost all of our energy is solar at its root and is only what this speck of a planet has been able to capure over the years. Now think about the sun and all the energy it is pumping out in every direction all the time. The rest of our energy comes from atomic energy, and there is a lot more mass out there than there is here.

The methane moons are called that because their atmosphere is comprised primarily of methane. Methane is the most basic of all hydrocarbons, and hydrocarbons are a family of chemicals that are the speciality of petrochmical engineers.
....H
H-C-H <---Methane
....H
(ignore the periods, I needed placeholders)
....H H H H H H H H
H-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-H <-----Octane
....H H H H H H H H

See any similarity? Methane is the start of all petrochemicals. Petrochemists have mostly figured out how to make the bigger hydrocarbon molecules out of methane using various forms of magic and rituals , so a steady source of methane would mean a steady source of oil.

 

[allan]

Methane MOONS? From what I understand, only Titan and Io have atmospheres, loaded with methane, other hydrocarbons, and sulphur compounds.

But the Giant Planets--Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune--would be HUGE sources of these things.

I'm not sure of which author, but I think it was fellow Minnesotan Poul Anderson, who in one of his short stories envisioned "Jupiter divers": skilled pilots who dive into Jupiter's atmosphere in small ships attached to larger aerodynamic compression tanks, that could "scoop" and compress the various hydrocarbon compounds and deliver millions of tons of these things to industrial facilities in the Asteroid Belt or in orbit around Jupiter. The components of the extracted gases that would be used for fuel (at this stage of technology, pure hydrogen rather than hydrocarbons) were delivered to "fueling stations" around the solar system, and would eventually fuel interstellar ships as well....

"Jupiter divers"--now THAT would be an exciting "hazard pay" position!

Our advancement into space is inevitable--that is unless we nuke ourselves to extinction before we get started.... All the more reason to put some of our eggs in other baskets, so to speak.

I can't wait! Hopefully I'll see some of the really exciting beginnings of this in my lifetime....

 

[FearlessLeader2]

Did someone just issue a bulletin that the earth was about to crash into the sun? allan agrees with me?!

Cancel the puppet show, close down the three-ring circus, close the petting zoo, prepare the ship for ludicrous speed!

 

[allan]

...and the Vikings win the Super Bowl!!!

Actually I think we agree on a LOT of things--it's just those things that we disagree on get most of our attention!