Obama/McCain and space exploration - Page 4

PhiGam · #46 10-23-2008, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Yes, it's worth spending the billions of dollars needed to go. Do you even know what a dry river bed could mean? This is proof that Mars once had a warm, wet climate, suitable for the origin of life. I've already said that it can get up to the mid 60s there. Life could have been possible in Mars' early years, because in its youth the planet's carbon dioxide atmosphere was much thicker, endowing it with a very strong greenhouse effect. And so what if there isn't any present day life. What about fossils? Wherever life has died out, it will leave fossils. We need people there to look.

Do you realize how impractical a colony on mars would be? Expensive, it would take FOREVER to build seeing as it is extremely difficult and time consuming to run ONE mars mission. It would then cost us $10,000/ lb of cargo, not enough to warrant mining any mineral on mars.

VAgirl18 · #47 10-23-2008, 04:40 AM

Why spend billions to go into space when there are thousands of homeless people on the streets and millions without healthcare?

cheerfulgreek · #48 10-23-2008, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhiGam

Do you realize how impractical a colony on mars would be? Expensive, it would take FOREVER to build seeing as it is extremely difficult and time consuming to run ONE mars mission. It would then cost us $10,000/ lb of cargo, not enough to warrant mining any mineral on mars.

No PhiGam, I don't. It's cheaper to run one Mars mission than it is to send troops to a country that doesn't even want us there. And yes, I think Mars can be colonized. From a techinical point of view, there's little doubt that we can eventually do just about anything we want on Mars, including terraforming Mars, like transforming it from a frigid, arid world into a warm, wet planet, I think it once was. Yes, I think we can afford it. Not now, but when Barack Obama is in office and our economy is better, I think we can. I was thinking that while the exploration and base building phases can and probably have to be carried out on the basis of government funding, during the settlement phase is when economics would come into play. While a Mars base of even a few hundred people can probably be supported out of pocket by governmental expenditures, a developing Martian society, one that may come to number in the hundreds of thousands, clearly cannot. I think to be viable, a real Martian civilization has to be completely autarchic or be able to produce some kind of export that allows it to pay for the imports in requires. I think after we're done wasting money in Iraq, and our economy is doing well, I think we should start putting some kind of plan together to make it happen.

cheerfulgreek · #49 10-23-2008, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

Why spend billions to go into space when there are thousands of homeless people on the streets and millions without healthcare?

I asked the same question when Bush sent troops to Iraq to fight a war over nothing. At least with exploring Mars we would be accomplishing something.

VAgirl18 · #50 10-23-2008, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

I asked the same question when Bush sent troops to Iraq to fight a war over nothing. At least with exploring Mars we would be accomplishing something.

Your logic is faulty. Yes, Bush made a mistake, but why follow up with another costly one?

CrackerBarrel · #51 10-23-2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

I asked the same question when Bush sent troops to Iraq to fight a war over nothing. At least with exploring Mars we would be accomplishing something.

It's a matter of priorities. Even if there was no WMD/Al Qaeda in Iraq I consider deposing a murderous dictator and putting a democracy which, though while it took a lot of work, now seems to be working in it's place something much more worth doing than flying to Mars just for the hell of it.

nittanyalum · #52 10-23-2008, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

And yes, I think Mars can be colonized. From a techinical point of view, there's little doubt that we can eventually do just about anything we want on Mars, including terraforming Mars, like transforming it from a frigid, arid world into a warm, wet planet, I think it once was. ... I think to be viable, a real Martian civilization has to be completely autarchic or be able to produce some kind of export that allows it to pay for the imports in requires. I think after we're done wasting money in Iraq, and our economy is doing well, I think we should start putting some kind of plan together to make it happen.

Wow.

Senusret I · #53 10-23-2008, 07:02 PM

cheerfulgreek · #54 10-24-2008, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CrackerBarrel

It's a matter of priorities. Even if there was no WMD/Al Qaeda in Iraq I consider deposing a murderous dictator and putting a democracy which, though while it took a lot of work, now seems to be working in it's place something much more worth doing than flying to Mars just for the hell of it.

A mission to Mars wouldn't just be done just be for the hell of it. Plus, since Saddam has been gone, it's actually gotten worse over there, I mean at least with the terrorist it has.

DaemonSeid · #55 10-24-2008, 06:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VAgirl18

Why spend billions?

Why spend billions when you can spend.....trillions.....?

*cue Dr. Evil Music*

MysticCat · #56 10-24-2008, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nittanyalum

Wow.

This "discussion" really makes me want my Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.

"Where's the kaboom?! There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!"