do you think that the U.S,Europe and China are wasting money on space exploration and that the money could be?
109852
No, I don't think it's a waste of money.  Imagine one day, whole colonies living and working on the moon and on Mars!  I think we need something to dream about.
63217
My personal opinion is much less optimistic. My feeling is that manned space flight has already peaked. It is too expensive. The economic benefits are there, energy, mining and the like, but only if there is a sufficient infrastructure already in orbit.\n\nIn my opinion it is making that infrastructure during the time before space is economically useable - which is certainly the case now - is the critical time.\n\nIt would be very easy (unfortunatetly) for the US to let manned space travel go on a haitus...and then a a vacation...and then forget about it. The US nows owes a tremendous amount of money (and we know whoses fault that is).\n\nAs for other countries I am not optimistic that, say, China will leap to the forefront. They will encounter the same problem. Human space travel is very expensive, dangerous, and there is a lot left to learn.\n\nSo I am afraid that the hurdle needed, the jump from where we our now to something even moderately self-sufficient in space, may be too high.\n\nThose who watched the moon landings (as I did as a kid) may have seen the farthest extent of humans in space.\n\nI hope I am wrong, but I just don't see a great future for humans in space.
461905
I really hope so there was a lot of things that came from the space program that people have forgotten. They were off shoots of the effort to make it to the moon. Computers, cell phones, medical equipment, very some thing that we use in our kitchen have roots in the space program some were failures that could not be use in the space program but found uses here on earth. We need to continue to have science for the sake of discovery. I think that it was in the 17 century that the government of either England are the US funded a project that had not use at the time. The research lead to the discovery of the electron. With out which you would not be reading this message. With space it will be either we do it our other will. The money that will come from space mission in the next 100 year will be greater than the US debt today.
960677
Yeah, I was born just in time to see the last apollo mission fly there.\n\nWill they go back? I sure hope so.  Just because there's no oil doesn't mean it's a worthless rock.  That worthless rock can be built into electronics, and solar panels.  A band of bottom line quality solar panels of a kilometer in width made to span the equator of the moon would put out a third of the energy needs for the world today.  There's a lot of lunar surface out there, and microwave relay stations can send that power anywhere you want.\n\nThere's also the whole helium three thing, but I dunno if that's really going to work or not.\n\nAnd of course, there's space tourism.  The old folks are sure to love spending some time on the moon, what with the romance of a full earth in view, and one sixth gravity to help them get around (and get it on!)\n\nPlus, the earth is so close, that you could use remote controlled robots operated by people on earth to do the construction work, so lunar colonies could make for more jobs down here.
88456
Sure why not? heck China is planning a Moon landing itself so I think America needs to start heading back up to the Moon before China does.\n\nNot to mention if we wanna get to Mars then we might wanna start building a station on the Moon so that we can accomplish our goal of getting to Mars.
850788
Is it scary, or ironic?  One third of the US space program is run by aliens!\n\nThe Space Shuttle was built be the lowest bidder!
469521
The US spends only a tiny fraction of the budget on the space program, and the benefits from it are fantastic.  \n\nThe computers we use right now would not be possible without the transistor, and transistors were invented as a result of the space program.  \n\nDo you ever watch satellite TV?  How do you think those satellites got there?\n\nDo you ever watch weather reports?  Weather satellites improve forecasting ability immensely.\n\nEver hear of OnStar, the button in your car you push when you need help?  It uses satellites to find and communicate with you.\n\nGPS, the global positioning system.  \n\nEver use Google maps satellite photo option?\n\nThe Hubble Space Telescope has given us enormous insight into the nature of the universe, and continues to do so.  \n\nWe haven't "found" anything useful in space, we found useful things in the pursuit!  And we made useful things.  It's what we as humans do best, innovate, create, and explore.  And we've only begun to explore the possibilities.  Zero-gravity manufacturing opens up all kinds of potential for making better things, like perfectly spherical ball-bearings that would have a million applications on the ground.\n\nKeep in mind that we spend ONE BILLION DOLLARS EVERY DAY on our military.  And that's just during peacetime.  We only spend a fraction of that on space travel, but the return on the investment is huge.  \n\nBut no, you're not the only one who thinks it's a waste.  Unfortunately, there are lots of people who agree, and are doing their best to hold us back from acheiving even more.
229290
Sounds to be a good a theory as any other...to say no..would mean closing doors to limitless possibilities..\nI do find it strange that suddenly the United States and China both want to go to the dark side of the moon..They never wanted to before..Is there a connection there too?...ya just never know..\nPerhaps ..very soon we ALL we learn the truth about life and the universe..Just don't expect to hear it from the government.
1150393
I think that a return to space is inevitable, and will reap enormous benefits in our understanding of ecology, medicine, electronics, propulsion and power generation, food production, and a host of other areas that we can only guess at from this side of the process. \nMars is a good goal, simply because, as JFK said, "it is hard." Landing on, and staying on, Mars, or the moon, is a tremendous undertaking, and one well worthwhile.\nThe problem, as I see it, is that while we are wasting so much of our energy combatting phantoms, we may find it difficult to coordinate the necessary effort to succeed in such an endeavor.\nSo until "terror" stops being the driving force in American politics, I think any serious striving for "progress" will be put on the back burner.\nAnd that is a terrifying though, isn't it?
907818
Of course not. NASA spent billions of dollars on styrofoam rockets and plastic movie sets. And Congress let them.
242698
Short answer, no.  China is certainly making gains though, but nobody else is really close.  Canada probably could if they wanted to--but they seem content.  The UK isn't there either, but they're at least in the same ballpark.\n\nYou'll read a lot about manufacturing and customer service jobs being sent overseas.  While that may take away jobs from the US, and may be a bad thing, most of the very high paying jobs are still in the US.  Plus, like the last guy said, we still have the largest Army and Navy.  Most of the best universities in the world are in the US.  Therefore, most of the newest inventions and innovations (hybrid cars being further developed, hydrogen for energy, etc) are taking place here.\n\nDon't worry about it ;)
301567
No, we don't have the technology.  Sending a probe out of our SOLAR SYSTEM is still considered big news.
1039264
I think both the US and China have plans to go to the moon early in the next decade.
331128
We don't need space weapons - the rest of the world is not poised to invade, that is a myth perpetrated by the military-industrial complex. The scientific value of sending people into space is also I think questionable. We should concentrate on missions that will bring benefits to all mankind through better knowledge of our universe and decommision the weapons to spend the money more wisely on reducing poverty and suffering in the world.
526582
Good question!\n\nA there are two groups of people with different points of views. I will try to overview both of them.\n\nFirst, there are the people that are promoting space travel as a tourist approach.  They are basically in it for the money.  A new gimic to get money from people is always around the corner.  There idea is not too weird however, because people looked at each new mode of transportation as a weird idea.  As people used the new mode of transportation from boats, to horse and buggy, to trains, to automobile, and to airplanes; each of these was improved to accomadate and make that particular mode better and safer.  So, although, there are people in it for the money it would have the benefit of making space travel safer and better as it develops.\n\nSecond there are those in the scientific point of view.  They feel it somehow cheapens and degrades their efforts for true space exporation.  They want money from the government and donators to help fund their projects into outer space to discover new things in space and on other planets.\n\nActually, we need both types of ideas and the people that feel that way.  To keep most people interested in space efforts all the attention possible must be give to the effort.  So any thing that brings attention to the efforts of space is usually a good thing!\n\nRemember that creativity comes in many forms and it is the end results that counts.  We need more people to grown up wanting to explore space and going into college after those courses that will help them to become scientists, idealist, pilots, ground personell, and so forth.\n\nSpace tourism may never become an everyday event, but it will sure help get some attention to the space programs of today.
92344
I have my doubts.\n\nBoth the US and China both have aims at going to the moon within the next couple of decades, but I havent seen much progresss by either nation to take such a big leap forward from their current space program.\n\nChina just launched its first person into space a few years ago, I havent heard much after that.\n\nThe US has already been there so they are probably in the best position to do it again.  NASA however is still trying to squeeze what it can out of the remaining orbiters in order to complete the international space station, besides that and trying to launch as many probes as it is, they can hardly find time to plan for what is replace the shuttle, much less going to the moon and beyond.
983163
It's a lot cheaper to explore our planet, and the goal of most exploration was to find something of value, usually funded by royalty.\n\nRoyalty isn't what it used to be, and any government whose people believe that taxes are bad will never be able to sustain the costs of exploration of space. It's an expensive proposition.\n\nOur equivalent of royalty, celebrities, tend to spend their money on themselves or on things they can see the immediate results of. No long-term no-return (emotional, financial or career) causes for them.