Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
You could have made the same inane comment when money was being spent on researching laser beam technology or any other of the thousands of other technological developments that have found applications in curing the sick.
Eventually we'll need to expand beyond earth as a species for numerous reasons such as population, resources etc. We're talking hundreds if not more years into the future, way beyond our lifetimes but it will need to happen. This can be tough to comprehend, but then again people struggle to look past a players first game so that shouldnt come as a surprise.
Stuff like space exploration doesnt just occur; you dont just go "right, we need to go to mars" and bam we have everything we need. You build up knowledge though many small steps. This is one of them.
The guys that are working on this are not the same people that would cure cancer or ebola. Physicists and engineers are not biologists.
The human race is going to need to be able to focus on more than one project at a time too.
There are many things that budget could be taken away from to provide for more useful, humanitarian goals. This should not be one of them.
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the man who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
I'm just finishing off episode 5 of human universe with Brian Cox. Aptly, he talked about the comet/asteroid that crashed into Russia in 2013. Completely caught everyone off guard because it's orbit/trajectory had shifted as a result of some infinitesimal interaction with something, at some point in space.
It is exactly because of this we need to spend more time studying space. If we are not monitoring the sky at all times then we are actually stupid and probably don't warrant the term 'intelligent life'.
In addition, he then went on to give an overview of how much fuel and how much money it costs to send astronauts out of the earth's atmosphere into space. They simply don't do it anymore, because it was something like 2500 tons of rocket fuel burnt in the first engine of one of the rockets that sent the 1972 mission to the moon.
Because of such missions, they have set up institutions like the emission centre in California to develop energy through fussion. No waste, a pellet the size of a mm capable of powering a house for a day.
The programmes are more important now today than they ever were
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
You what, what has transport infrastructure got to do with this? It's my opinion, I say it doesn't really achieve anything other satisfy curiosity, again my opinion, oh what horror. Enjoy your space dust, let's hope it achieves something more than the wasted millions or billions that have been incurred.
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
You what, what has transport infrastructure got to do with this? It's my opinion, I say it doesn't really achieve anything other satisfy curiosity, again my opinion, oh what horror. Enjoy your space dust, let's hope it achieves something more than the wasted millions or billions that have been incurred.
It does a lot more than satisfy curiosity. I can understand as a topic it might not interest people. However, to say that we have wasted money exploring space is factually incorrect. You can take any number of the examples that people have listed on this thread.
I'll always accept people's opinions, any person's opinion is as valid as the next, but factually you're not correct here when you say millions/billions have been wasted.
People make statements based on what they have always believed. Lots of other people then give lots of answers, with examples, as to why that belief is erroneous, some of the original people then insist they are still right. I don't get it?
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
You what, what has transport infrastructure got to do with this? It's my opinion, I say it doesn't really achieve anything other satisfy curiosity, again my opinion, oh what horror. Enjoy your space dust, let's hope it achieves something more than the wasted millions or billions that have been incurred.
It does a lot more than satisfy curiosity. I can understand as a topic it might not interest people. However, to say that we have wasted money exploring space is factually incorrect. You can take any number of the examples that people have listed on this thread.
I'll always accept people's opinions, any person's opinion is as valid as the next, but factually you're not correct here when you say millions/billions have been wasted.
You are now generalising the argument and ignoring the question in the first post. I'm talking about spending millions on landing on a comet. The world has benefited from space exploration I agree with that. I agree science is important. Yes, spend money on transport infrastructure and food production. Many people are being deprived of expensive cancer drugs yet we spend fortunes wanting to sniff a comet (it does that believe it or not) and test the chemical make up of its surface. I didn't say it's not interesting as others have suggested, I just think the money should be spent more wisely particularly if it's tax payers funds. I'd be surprised if millions have not been spent on this.
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
You what, what has transport infrastructure got to do with this? It's my opinion, I say it doesn't really achieve anything other satisfy curiosity, again my opinion, oh what horror. Enjoy your space dust, let's hope it achieves something more than the wasted millions or billions that have been incurred.
It does a lot more than satisfy curiosity. I can understand as a topic it might not interest people. However, to say that we have wasted money exploring space is factually incorrect. You can take any number of the examples that people have listed on this thread.
I'll always accept people's opinions, any person's opinion is as valid as the next, but factually you're not correct here when you say millions/billions have been wasted.
You are now generalising the argument and ignoring the question in the first post. I'm talking about spending millions on landing on a comet. The world has benefited from space exploration I agree with that. I agree science is important. Yes, spend money on transport infrastructure and food production. Many people are being deprived of expensive cancer drugs yet we spend fortunes wanting to sniff a comet (it does that believe it or not) and test the chemical make up of its surface. I didn't say it's not interesting as others have suggested, I just think the money should be spent more wisely particularly if it's tax payers funds. I'd be surprised if millions have not been spent on this.
What landing on the comet really boils down to is we want to know what creates life. Surely that's the most noble endeavour you can think of? The question in the OP was about space exploration generally.
Yeah, take your point regarding the OP, my original point was about the money spent landing on the comet. Quite ironic though that scientists are looking to discover what creates life when I'm whinging about spending money where lives can be saved. Please do ignore me I lost somebody close to me recently and have strong views on the subject, so trying not to offend if I can.
This is a direct answer from ESA on why they believe it is worth spending a huge amount of money on studying comets in space:
ESA’s task is to explore the unknown. In the case of Rosetta, scientists will be learning about comets, objects that have fascinated mankind for millennia. Comets are thought to be the most primitive objects in the Solar System, the building blocks from which the planets were made. So Rosetta will provide exciting new insights into how the planets (including Earth) were born and how life began.
It is important to consider that what may seem pure science ends up contributing to the store of human knowledge, and the advancement of knowledge always has relevance to everyday life, in the practical as well as the philosophical sense. Many technologies developed for space eventually lead to advances in other areas, though it is very difficult to predict when and how basic knowledge will result in practical benefits. If there had not been a need for particle physicists to share data, there would be no World Wide Web.
There are also direct spin-offs, like Rosetta’s advanced solar cell technology.
ESA is very careful to optimise the financial resources available in order to get the maximum profit, in terms of scientific results, technology and – last but not least – advances for European industry.
The educational fallout from major science endeavours should also not be underestimated. Missions like Rosetta are inspiring and fascinating, and help to get more young people interested in science, including many who may eventually choose a scientific career.
@Jayajosh I hear you. I'm currently going through the horrible experience of watching someone I love dearly be eaten and taken away by that illness. I also see that someday probably not too far away a finite cure for most cancers will be found. As will a cure for type 1 diabetes and at least a better course of medicine for dementia. Biologists are not astrophysics though mate, what they are though is innovators and proper engineers. They do what they do and it costs what is costs. And fingers crossed they stumble upon a few more good ideas along the way
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
You what, what has transport infrastructure got to do with this? It's my opinion, I say it doesn't really achieve anything other satisfy curiosity, again my opinion, oh what horror. Enjoy your space dust, let's hope it achieves something more than the wasted millions or billions that have been incurred.
It does a lot more than satisfy curiosity. I can understand as a topic it might not interest people. However, to say that we have wasted money exploring space is factually incorrect. You can take any number of the examples that people have listed on this thread.
I'll always accept people's opinions, any person's opinion is as valid as the next, but factually you're not correct here when you say millions/billions have been wasted.
You are now generalising the argument and ignoring the question in the first post. I'm talking about spending millions on landing on a comet. The world has benefited from space exploration I agree with that. I agree science is important. Yes, spend money on transport infrastructure and food production. Many people are being deprived of expensive cancer drugs yet we spend fortunes wanting to sniff a comet (it does that believe it or not) and test the chemical make up of its surface. I didn't say it's not interesting as others have suggested, I just think the money should be spent more wisely particularly if it's tax payers funds. I'd be surprised if millions have not been spent on this.
Fair point. I was responding to the passage where you referenced 'space dust'.
I'm still inclined to agree with @stoneroses19 - there are always very specific reasons either NASA or the ESA carry out any missions these days. They more than anyone are aware of the costs of the missions and are scrutinised to the nth degree around funding.
It wasn't good to read today that the probe has actually landed in the shade and they are having to debate about how best to manoeuvre it back into the light (or not at all).
Like I say I understand people's reactions when they hear of the initial costs involved, but space exploration (including the comet landing), educates us, and that can only be a good thing.
Think the opening post about wasting money is a bit ironic considering it is on a football message board. Thats right - millions of pounds a year is blown on 11 men kicking a ball round a patch of grass. I would say scientific research stacks up quite well against that.
Will landing on a comet cure cancer or Ebola? No, so money should spent more wisely.
lets stop everything and find a cure for cancer. Food production? Sorry guys, cancer. Transport infrastructure? Sorry, cancer. Expanding our knowledge of the universe? Sorry guys, gotta find that cure for cancer.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
You what, what has transport infrastructure got to do with this? It's my opinion, I say it doesn't really achieve anything other satisfy curiosity, again my opinion, oh what horror. Enjoy your space dust, let's hope it achieves something more than the wasted millions or billions that have been incurred.
It does a lot more than satisfy curiosity. I can understand as a topic it might not interest people. However, to say that we have wasted money exploring space is factually incorrect. You can take any number of the examples that people have listed on this thread.
I'll always accept people's opinions, any person's opinion is as valid as the next, but factually you're not correct here when you say millions/billions have been wasted.
You are now generalising the argument and ignoring the question in the first post. I'm talking about spending millions on landing on a comet. The world has benefited from space exploration I agree with that. I agree science is important. Yes, spend money on transport infrastructure and food production. Many people are being deprived of expensive cancer drugs yet we spend fortunes wanting to sniff a comet (it does that believe it or not) and test the chemical make up of its surface. I didn't say it's not interesting as others have suggested, I just think the money should be spent more wisely particularly if it's tax payers funds. I'd be surprised if millions have not been spent on this.
Much progress in fighting cancer has come from understanding how life is formed, how cells multiply. Comets are thought to have brought the building blocks of life on Earth so who knows what we might learn. As one of the scientists said yesterday, if you don't care about where the world came from its hardly worth you getting up in the morning. Tax payers funds are spent on lots of things you might not agree with, doesn't make the spending unwise just because you don't agree. Presumably you give all your money to charity and don't spend it unwisely on football and having a computer, an internet connection, holidays, a car and Xmas.
You don't have an argument or a case, you have an irrational opinion.
I think this article puts it nicely into context. The cost of funding the Rosetta project works out at €3.50 per head for each European citizen. That's less than half the cost of going to the cinema to watch some mindless space film that will not progress mankind one iota. Even then, there are easy terms on paying the €3.50 because its spread over the life of the project meaning that the average person would have spent 20 cents per year on this. Are the neigh-sayers really saying that money is so tight that we cannot contribute this tiny amount to furthering our understanding of the universe?
I think this article puts it nicely into context. The cost of funding the Rosetta project works out at €3.50 per head for each European citizen. That's less than half the cost of going to the cinema to watch some mindless space film that will not progress mankind one iota. Even then, there are easy terms on paying the €3.50 because its spread over the life of the project meaning that the average person would have spent 20 cents per year on this. Are the neigh-sayers really saying that money is so tight that we cannot contribute this tiny amount to furthering our understanding of the universe?
The site depicts the planets, space probes and other points of interest in real time. Zooming in and out gives a real impression of distance. Every depicted item is clickable for more in depth data.
The site depicts the planets, space probes and other points of interest in real time. Zooming in and out gives a real impression of distance. Every depicted item is clickable for more in depth data.
Wow! That’s fantastic! I’m going to be spending hours on there!
I'm 31 and already looking forward to the time I can retire so I can make the most of my time and continuously use a cool new high class telescope in a nice clear open sky
I'm doing trigonometry at the moment which is nice and relevent.
I just don't have anytime available at present for anything like this.
Fascinated by all things space related, but ended up watching another crappy documentary the other day debunking the moon landings saying they never happened.
To save me trawling the internet I'd like to know is there definitive proof they happened, like for example a probe picking up the landing marks or flag in the moon surface?
Secondly, why has no one gone back there since 1969?? 51 years since man last stepped on the moon. Surely money can't be the only reason, billions are wasted everyday on this planet and think of the kudos for going there again now? I wondered (while drunk) if actually it was all fake and it's never happened after all.....or did they discover something up there that meant it was decided never to take man back to the moon again?
For a start apparently there is gold up there, which i know would cost too much to mine currently but nonetheless 51 years!!! Why!!?
Fascinated by all things space related, but ended up watching another crappy documentary the other day debunking the moon landings saying they never happened.
To save me trawling the internet I'd like to know is there definitive proof they happened, like for example a probe picking up the landing marks or flag in the moon surface?
Secondly, why has no one gone back there since 1969?? 51 years since man last stepped on the moon. Surely money can't be the only reason, billions are wasted everyday on this planet and think of the kudos for going there again now? I wondered (while drunk) if actually it was all fake and it's never happened after all.....or did they discover something up there that meant it was decided never to take man back to the moon again?
For a start apparently there is gold up there, which i know would cost too much to mine currently but nonetheless 51 years!!! Why!!?
I don't know enough about this.
All I know is, they stuck a US flag on it didn't they?
Due to the moon's alternate environmental structure... that flag should still be present and in the exact same spot.
Surely a very good rather expensive out of this world telescope, could identify this flag?
We have Photoshop now so it would be easy to fake make fake pictures of the flags on the moon so no one would believe it.
What is amazing is that they somehow managed to fake the moon landings in 1969 without any aid from computers. I've no idea how they did this and suspect that some sort of alien technology was involved.
Comments
Stuff like space exploration doesnt just occur; you dont just go "right, we need to go to mars" and bam we have everything we need. You build up knowledge though many small steps. This is one of them.
The guys that are working on this are not the same people that would cure cancer or ebola. Physicists and engineers are not biologists.
The human race is going to need to be able to focus on more than one project at a time too.
There are many things that budget could be taken away from to provide for more useful, humanitarian goals. This should not be one of them.
What a horrifically short sighted and ignorant point of view. Space exploration drives all scientific fields. Who's to say the person who finds the cure for cancer isn't an 11 year old who's thought "wow, space exploration is cool, i wanna be a scientist when i grow up".
It is exactly because of this we need to spend more time studying space. If we are not monitoring the sky at all times then we are actually stupid and probably don't warrant the term 'intelligent life'.
In addition, he then went on to give an overview of how much fuel and how much money it costs to send astronauts out of the earth's atmosphere into space. They simply don't do it anymore, because it was something like 2500 tons of rocket fuel burnt in the first engine of one of the rockets that sent the 1972 mission to the moon.
Because of such missions, they have set up institutions like the emission centre in California to develop energy through fussion. No waste, a pellet the size of a mm capable of powering a house for a day.
The programmes are more important now today than they ever were
I'll always accept people's opinions, any person's opinion is as valid as the next, but factually you're not correct here when you say millions/billions have been wasted.
ESA’s task is to explore the unknown. In the case of Rosetta, scientists will be learning about comets, objects that have fascinated mankind for millennia. Comets are thought to be the most primitive objects in the Solar System, the building blocks from which the planets were made. So Rosetta will provide exciting new insights into how the planets (including Earth) were born and how life began.
It is important to consider that what may seem pure science ends up contributing to the store of human knowledge, and the advancement of knowledge always has relevance to everyday life, in the practical as well as the philosophical sense. Many technologies developed for space eventually lead to advances in other areas, though it is very difficult to predict when and how basic knowledge will result in practical benefits. If there had not been a need for particle physicists to share data, there would be no World Wide Web.
There are also direct spin-offs, like Rosetta’s advanced solar cell technology.
ESA is very careful to optimise the financial resources available in order to get the maximum profit, in terms of scientific results, technology and – last but not least – advances for European industry.
The educational fallout from major science endeavours should also not be underestimated. Missions like Rosetta are inspiring and fascinating, and help to get more young people interested in science, including many who may eventually choose a scientific career.
I don't think it is a waste of money by the way.
I'm still inclined to agree with @stoneroses19 - there are always very specific reasons either NASA or the ESA carry out any missions these days. They more than anyone are aware of the costs of the missions and are scrutinised to the nth degree around funding.
It wasn't good to read today that the probe has actually landed in the shade and they are having to debate about how best to manoeuvre it back into the light (or not at all).
Like I say I understand people's reactions when they hear of the initial costs involved, but space exploration (including the comet landing), educates us, and that can only be a good thing.
I would say scientific research stacks up quite well against that.
You don't have an argument or a case, you have an irrational opinion.
http://scienceogram.org/blog/2014/11/rosetta-comet-esa-lander-cost/
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/our-solar-system/overview/
The site depicts the planets, space probes and other points of interest in real time. Zooming in and out gives a real impression of distance. Every depicted item is clickable for more in depth data.
I'm doing trigonometry at the moment which is nice and relevent.
I just don't have anytime available at present for anything like this.
To save me trawling the internet I'd like to know is there definitive proof they happened, like for example a probe picking up the landing marks or flag in the moon surface?
Secondly, why has no one gone back there since 1969?? 51 years since man last stepped on the moon. Surely money can't be the only reason, billions are wasted everyday on this planet and think of the kudos for going there again now? I wondered (while drunk) if actually it was all fake and it's never happened after all.....or did they discover something up there that meant it was decided never to take man back to the moon again?
For a start apparently there is gold up there, which i know would cost too much to mine currently but nonetheless 51 years!!! Why!!?
I don't know enough about this.
All I know is, they stuck a US flag on it didn't they?
Due to the moon's alternate environmental structure... that flag should still be present and in the exact same spot.
Surely a very good rather expensive out of this world telescope, could identify this flag?
What is amazing is that they somehow managed to fake the moon landings in 1969 without any aid from computers. I've no idea how they did this and suspect that some sort of alien technology was involved.