Space programme, what is the point?

I've never really understood how anyone can state that nothing can travel faster than light. How can they prove that?

Currently it may not be possible but what if we discover a new form or propulsion?

It's like saying no-one can run the 4 minute mile, until Roger Banister did it.

Can anyone enlighten me?

There are theoretical methods for traveling faster-than-light (FTL). They are far beyond our current technology, however. (For example, one requires the use of a ring-shaped singularity. Another requires the use of an infinitely-long, dense, rapidly-rotating cylinder)

As for why the US (and other nations) spend money on space research: it is incredibly lucrative. The spin-off technologies include (but are not limited to) a) anything that benefits from miniaturization b) materials science c) medical technology.

And if they search long enough, they may find Elvis. )

I've never understood why people run. My wife runs around the block every morning, and she always ends up right back where she started. Doesn't make sense to me.

Even if she was running places instead of just in circles, and could run as fast as a car, that's a snails pace compared to the size of the world, and the furthest she could realistically make it would be Wyoming, and we already know nothing is there.

I also don't understand why people like to read fiction. It isn't true. It never happened, and most of it never will.

I also don't understand why people get married. It isn't financially efficient to have children. And there's no point in holding hands. It's not like your spouses hand will fall off if you don't hold onto it.

Come to think of it, I don't understand why people do anything. Why don't people just sit at home in the dark not thinking or expanding their minds, or doing things they love and enjoy, or trying to better themselves and the world in any way. Bettering yourself goes against the laws of thermodynamics anyway, so it's completely pointless really to try to accomplish anything.

How aboout accomplishing something useful to mankind like finding a cure for cancer, parkinsons disease, or world hunger, or the very real problem of power.

There are, we are told only two hundred years worth of oil left, I would say thats a programme that needs addressing pretty urgently.

The space programme spent a trillion dollars to go to mars to bring back rock samples, museums send a couple of geologists to antartica to find samples from mars lying in the snow. Cost I dont know, say $50,000.

If it is money well spent fine, all I'm asking is this, do we have so few problems on earth that trillions should be spent on space?

If we don't research in space, we cancel all of our long-term goals for it...

The problem with space programs is that most of our research won't truly benefit us for a few more centuries. It's more like an investment than as actual necessity. But it is a worthy investment... especially when you consider that if us humans live long enough, the sun will swallow us whole someday I for one would like to know how to escape that danger if it ever approaches us, maybe relocate to another planet?

The thinking behind space exploration is to obtain knowledge. The motive is that eventually, it will benefit us. We may be able to solve many of our own planet's mysteries by uncovering the mysteries of similar, better-preserved (so their history is easier to read) planets.

And what Merlin said is correct... many space technologies have drastically improved the state of living in our human realm. Many accidental inventions come about that way

I do believe we need to do some cost-cutting, of course. Too much money is spent. But eleminate it altogether? Unless you want to guarantee the eventual extinction of the human race (since our very earth will be destroyed, or become ruined far sooner than that time), why do that?

So.. hmm... win/lose. But again, I definately think less money should be spent on it for the time being, until we can cure some of our diseases and epidemics... as long as SOME money is devoted to it still.
(cure world hunger? I really don't think that's ever possible... if humans haven't done it in the centuries we've lived here already, and the population continues to grow... I see no solution to it )

What difference does it really make in the big scheme of things if we find 1 more cure, or increase our GDP by 1 more percent?

Certainly, these causes may seem important to us...and are not unworthy of investment of time and effort to improving them.

But they do not really affect the overrall accomplishments of our race, nor the overrall pride that we may have in being human.

Imagine if we had your mentallity since the time of cave men..we'd still be huddled around campfires hunting for food.

I don't think that we just want to learn about life to use it to increase our quality of life...I think it is what defines our achievement and worth as a race.

You talk about cost cutting... Have you compared the budget for NASA against the budget for agricultural subsidies? Social Security? Military spending? A drop in the bucket, and so far the spinoffs have more than paid for the program.

I'll be the first to admit, I personally have never compared the actual numbers...
I just hear more complaints about the space program, so I assumed that costed tons more My mistake ^^;

It'd be interesting to hear some comparisons, even rough estimates of the differences between the budgets

I've read quite a few articles on this, but do not have time to research if they are available online. Hopefully, I'll have more by Monday.

Just found this in 5 minutes or so... heh:

TV Satellite Dish : NASA developed ways to correct errors in the signals coming from the spacecraft.

Medical Imaging :
NASA developed ways to process signals from spacecraft to produce clearer images.

Bar Coding : Originally developed to help NASA keep track of millions of spacecraft parts.

Vision Screening System : Uses techniques developed for processing space pictures to examine eyes of children and find out quickly if they have any vision problems.

Ear Thermometer : Instead of measuring temperature using a column of mercury (which expands as it heats up), this thermometer has a lens like a camera and detects infrared energy, which we feel as heat... This technology was originally developed to detect the birth of stars.

Fire Fighter Equipment : Fire fighters wear suits made of fire resistant fabric developed for use in space suits.

Smoke Detector : First used in the Earth orbiting space station called Skylab (launched back in 1973) to help detect any toxic vapors.

Sun Tiger Glasses : From research done on materials to protect the eyes of welders working on spacecraft, protective lenses were developed that block almost all the wavelengths of radiation that might harm the eyes, while letting through all the useful wavelengths that let us see.

Automobile Design Tools : A computer program developed by NASA to analyze a spacecraft or airplane design and predict how parts will perform is now used to help design automobiles.

Cordless Tools : Portable, self-contained power tools were originally developed to help Apollo astronauts drill for moon samples. This technology has lead to development of such tools as the cordless vacuum cleaner, power drill, shrub trimmers, and grass shears.

Aerodynamic Bicycle Wheel : A special bike wheel uses NASA research in airfoils (wings) and design software developed for the space program.

Thermal Gloves and Boots : This technology was adapted from a spacesuit design for the Apollo astronauts.

Space Pens : The Fisher Space Pen was developed for use in space. Most pens depend on gravity to make the ink flow into the ball point. For this space pen, the ink cartridge contains pressured gas to push the ink toward the ball point. That means, you can lie in bed and write upside down with this pen!

Shock Absorbing Helmets : These special football helmets use a padding of Temper Foam, a shock absorbing material first developed for use in aircraft seats. These helmets have three times the shock absorbing ability of previous types.

Ski Boots : These ski boots use accordion-like folds, similar to the design of space suits, to allow the boot to flex without distortion, yet still give support and control for precision skiing.

Failsafe Flashlight : This flashlight uses NASA's concept of system redundancy, which is always having a backup for the parts of the spacecraft with the most important jobs.

Invisible Braces : These teeth-straightening braces use brackets that are made of a nearly invisible translucent (almost see-through) ceramic material. This material is a spinoff of NASA's advanced ceramic research to develop new, tough materials for spacecraft and aircraft.

Joystick Controllers : These devices evolved from research to develop a controller for the Apollo Lunar Rover, and from other NASA research into how humans actually operate (called "human factors").

Advanced Plastics : Spacecraft and other electronics need very special, low-cost materials as the base for printed circuits (like those inside your computer). Some of these "liquid crystal polymers" have turned out to be very good, low-cost materials for making containers for foods and beverages.


There's a few for you. A web search turns out several results >_>

Human factors is actually a whole new branch of psychology. It is researching things like how the human eye interprets unusual signals. (Two examples: safer night time driving, helping pilots avoid seeing hills as valleys.)

Also, the upside-down pen is kind of a joke around space buffs. Nasa spent I-don't-know-how-much-money developing it; the Russian Cosmonauts solved the problem by using a pencil.

hah... I see why it's a joke

Come to think of it, I believe I've heard that story before... laughed then, too

Yes. To understand it, you would have had to study Physics. This is a theoretical limit on relative speeds, not a technological limit. As the speed of an object approaches the speed of light, its mass approaches infinity, so there is not enough energy in the cosmos to accelerate even one electron to the speed of light.

By the way, you can reach a star 10, 20, 30, or any number of light years distant in as short a time as you want by getting very close to the speed of light. To understand this you have to take into account both the speed of light limit, and the relativistic phenomenon of time dilation. Travelling at 99.9% the speed of light, you could reach a star 10 light years distant in just under half a year, although an observer on either your planet of origin or destination would observe your trip as having taken a shade over 10 years.

Odds are about 1% that all humans on Earth will be dead some time in the next thousand years. For the coming decade the odds are perhaps one in a million, but not zero. We have a fair chance of avoiding complete extintion, if we spread out into space.
As Don1 suggested, we need to keep up the momentum of space research or we may not spread out into space before the extintion of all humans on Earth. With sufficient public interest, we could have humans living in tiny, unsafe habitats below the surface of asteroids by 2010, and thousands of humans, safely, in asteroids and comets by 2099, but only if we start with enthusiasm very soon. Going to the Moon and Mars is good PR, but asteroids can get humans much farther from Earth, and less dependent on Earth as soon as 2010, while a self sufficient moon or Mars colony is unlikely before 2020 no matter how much money we spend. Neil