How can congress justify spending tens-of-billions sending up space probes when OUR planet needs fixing?
415178
They can't justify it that's why they do it, politicians are contrary creatures!\n\nActually, I agree with you, all governments seem to spend more money on stupid things than on something that's actually pertinant to their society!  I think there's a certain amount of one-up-manship, but perhaps also the fact that politicians are so well paid that they don't care about real issues, they just care about themselves!
1147442
Actually for the larger industrialized nations space research and exploration is a relatively small fraction of their overall national budgets, and space research, if used wisely, can help reduce, if not cure, some problems by monitoring crops for diseases or drought, help track weather, animal and fish populations, enivironmental problems, and provide new technologies and materials that can improve healthcare and life in general, and of course there is the knowledge gained about the Universe in which we live. I do agree that there is a great deal of money wasted in the space program (I think the Space Shuttle and International Space Station are make-work money pits that should be closed off), but I think the more germain question is why so many trillions of dollars worldwide are spent on weapons, corporate greed, and subsidizing the lifestyles of the already wealthy. Cutting even just one major weapons purchase program in practically every country around the globe could give each child of those nations a free college education.\n\nI think an argument also has to be made for the simple human need to know and understand what space is and what's in it. Questions like "Where did the Moon come from and what is is made of?" would never have been answered if we hadn't gone there. Sending robotic missions to Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and other planets in our solar system give us some hint of what those worlds really are like and fire our imaginations, and sending telescopes, such as the Hubble, up into space have given us a clearer, and often very beautiful picture of what the Cosmos is made up of and how it got here. Theories aren't worth much unless there is data to back them up, and these sorts of instruments help us gather data in ways that human eyes or ground-based equipment never could, and while it's true most of us go through life occupied by the more mundane pursuits of life, but all of us at some time have wondered what this Universe is all about and what our place is in it, and I think the questions being asked here bear that out. Exploring space helps answer some of those questions.\n\nIt isn't legitimate space programs (ie., non-militarized) that are starving the poor; it's the insatiable, contemptible greed of death merchants like Lockheed-Martin and greedhead corporations like Halliburton and Bechtel who want to enslave us that do...\n\nN.
78084
The NASA budget for fiscal year 2006 will able about $16.5 billion.  The Budget for the Department of Health & Human Services for 2005 was $67 billion plus whatever money was spent on other government social welfare programs, money spent by the states and money or programs offered by churches and other nonprofit organizations.  NASA's budget would not go very vary to change things for the homeless.\n\nMoney spent on space exploration creates knowledge, jobs, new businesses, and technologies, many of which have direct application to other activities. Space explorations inspires technological advances such as increased sophistication in solar-power generation, cryogenic technologies (cooling and storing liquefied gas), and human-robot interaction. These advances will benefit energy, environment, health care, and many other areas. Many of the capabilities required for human exploration will also help advance military defense technology.
885593
i think in terms of america and other industrialized nation that can utilze space travel and has vested interest in it. there are to many people that waste there lives on trivial crap (sports, celebrities,)  plus when dictators cuase problems resourses go from such commodities like space travel to military expence.  i think if we can cut these cancers from our society we would have the leasure to focus on space travel\n\nsome beilieve if the library of alexandri wasnt destroyed and scientific enlightenment had flourished we may be colonizing the solar sytem by know,  but its imposible to say what would have happend
334966
Yes, and I wish I could find that link I read years ago.  The above methods are acceptable, but this method used up “A LOT” of energy, and was not perfected.  When I worked at NASA years ago there was a joke about it. Now there is something to it they have found.  Like anything else you through enough money at it you will get something out of it.  So for your government money watchers I recall something like only 5 to 8 % of this research budget comes from government grants. It really does not have any military value as of yet.
194826
How the heck do they know that? Whew that's one big scale. Do they hook up one of those hang in scales and attach it to mars? See you have a new pic. Nice. What if the middle of the planet was hollow after all? How do they know it isn't. I think someone just said it isn't cause that would make sense. \n\nBut I think its empty in the middle, and if we spring a leek from oil drilling we'll lose all our water, but then we'd be able to see everything in the ocean which would be cool. But I'm sure we'd have some left, cause the ocean is pretty deep in many areas right? So then we could have more land for farming to. Wouldn't that be good farm land? I'm not sure but we could probably drill lots of oil out of the Gulf of Mexico. Then all our gas prices could go back under $2 dollars maybe. That would be nice. Then... wait, what am I talking about?  hmmmm so my answer is YES!!! wait is that an option? oh man.............
28933
Everything is a matter of necessity. The fact that mankind seemed perfectly content to drag a large case around simply meant that no one took the time to look at the problem. In the case of the moon America was in the space race (also the invention of the atom bomb) and spent billions of dollars, located the brightest scientist, and used the best resources to beat Russia, (who in all respects won). It was a matter of necessity in the minds of the people in power to solve that problem and they did. Just think, if the government would drive that much time and money into finding an alternative fuel source. The possibilities could be amazing!
26507
Its the goverment. the goverment works like snails only slower. Have you seen the public leaping past NASA.  well they will soon
42522
In many cases it is important to find an answer to a problem but we are overdoing it. We have gone hog wild on this.\n\nGovm't spending is way out of hand. Our total taxation is over 51% and climbing. \n\nWe need NASA to keep pace with science and world progress. \n\nOur govm't was designed to protect the people not subsidize them which means our welfare programs have gone too far. \n\nThe fruit fly study was for the benefit of the orchardists.
1031470
The Earth is a finite resource and will become uninhabitable one day.   Global warming, nuclear accident, hit from a big rock from space - there are plenty of disaster scenarios.\n\nWe need to be prepared.  To that end NASA needs to do so much more research, travel to other planets, set up a base on the moon and mars and, above all work towards spaceflight being like flying today.   Sound far fetched?   When my dad was a boy man couldn't fly and before he died men were standing on the moon.\n\nProfessor Stephen Hawking, he who wrote 'A brief History of Time', recently stated that if mankind did not seek out planetary travel pretty quickly there was a good chance a natural disaster would wipe out all human life!
69114
I pray for true science positions resolving global warming, nothing is more important regarding this planet, it better not take ten years.\n\nBlubla
847011
You would need to provide vast amounts of resources provided to earth from space and travel into space. People fight and hate for the limited resources  and wealth available.
443551
Satalites have helped make the society we have today possible:  \n1. We broadcast live around the world. \n2. We spy with satalites and I would hate to see space war technology develope elsewhere but not in USA.  \n3. We can study the earth in space in ways we can't on the ground, (a birds eye view so to speak.)\n4. Things with which others can explain.\n\nNASA and Space exploration may be able to detect an asteroid or comet that may strike the earth.  Something most certainly did in Siberia in 1908.  I would not go by any event that happened 65 million years age, but 1908 isn't so long age.  We were so lucky then.  If something like that happens over New York, 10 million people will be killed.  If it happens over the ocean, the title wave will probably compare to the one in 2004.\n\nColonizing space, the moon and/or Mars may prove to be invaluable in the future.  It is proving difficult to clean up this Earth after we messed it up so bad.  We could start over.  (if you care about future generations.)\n\nWe are a species that need to test it's limits.  That is why Stonehedge and the pyramids were built.  We need self esteem as a species.  We will concider our selves disapointments if we don't do that which we are capbable.
1127353
We are able to today.  Potential cost has been estimated at less than $30 billion...\n\nHey, I have an idea!  Bill Gates can pay for the mission, and then claim Mars all for himself, kinda like the European monarchs did with the Americas!
892479
It is absolutely worth the cost.  \n\n1.  The advances made in science by space exploration affect our everyday lives.  Things from velcro to GPS has some aspect of space exploraiton involved.  What is developed for use in space finds its way into our lives on Earth in many wonderful ways.\n\n2.  Exploring the unknown in and of itself is worth it--we must expand our minds, our knowlege, our understanding of the universe.  \n\n3.  Only by learning and knowing the world/universe in which we live can we fully fathom our own part in it.\n\n4.  We need to dream.  We have dreamt of exploring the stars for millennia.  It is in our nature to reach out to the stars.\n\nOf course it is worth it.  And it deserves to be funded with much, much more money than it currently is.
627720
Boy, I wish that was practical!  If rocketing radioactive waste into the sun was cost effective, we'd have bases on Mars by now and an active space tourism business!\n Unfortunately, the radioactive elements that make up much of the dangerous waste are some of the heaviest (densest) known.  Ever picked up something made of solid steel?  The same thing made of uranium would weigh 2 1/2 times as much!\n In 2000, the cost to send 1 pound of anything to space varied from about $5000 (Chinese Long March Rocket) to $23,000 (Shuttle).  If you figure an average of $10,000 per pound, (ignoring LEO versus escape to the sun costs) then to send the 77,000 tons of waste that are programmed for underground storage at Yucca Mountain would cost one and a half TRILLION dollars!  Compare that to $58 billion to bury it.
725131
This would be a terrible idea.\n1)  First of all, it would be horribly unsafe.  Even the safest 'man-rated' rocket boosters have a failure rate of 1/1000.  That is nowhere nearly a safe enough ratio for moving hundreds of tons of Highly Radioactive wastes into even a Solar orbit.\n2) You say 'space' like that is the end of it.  Orbit around the earth?  Orbits, even Clarke orbits decay, and here comes the waste back.  Solar orbits?  These also need to be carefully calcualted to prevent a future mishap or collison.   Interstellar space?  I'm sure that that would be a nice friendly gift for any other life forms out there, our waste?\n3)  This would be fabuolosly expensive.  Currently it costs about US $10,000 a pound to send something to high orbit.  \n4) It is unnecessary to do this.  We have proven technologies for 'filtering' or reprocessing wastes to recover fissionable materials for re-use in reactor cores.  We have technologies for using wastes themselves to generate power and more fuel (Breeder reactors).  Baisically the stumbling block is no one wants these facilities in their neighborhood and the failure of our politicians to address these problems in a logical and scientifically sound strategy.