Why should we fund a bunch of guys spending millions to figure out the beginning of life (NASA)?
603309
Life is just a small part of the space exploration program. The earth will not survive forever. At some point we must find a way out of here. We also have benefitted greatly in the field of drugs alone. New drugs to prevent and cure diseases have been produced already in zero G that could have never been developed down here. New alloys can be developed up there that were never possible before. The list goes on...
275952
It is said by many prophets, that when Pluto is reached by man, that the end times have started. It may or may not be the reason. It might be that his cronies have little interest or capital in the manufacturer's of space technology or he can't find a way to funnel the tax payers money that supports space exploration.
1048446
Because NASA is sourely underfunded.  It is allready to late for this planet.  I fear that mankind will not harness intersteller travel in time, none the less find a planet compatible with human life.  Also, NASA is a nonprofit organization.  For profit organizations tend to be quicker and more efficient, but as history has shown tend to also be less reliable and reckless.
828510
NASA is a government agency and is funded in large part by tax dollars.  As a result, NASA must maintain excellent PR among voters and elected officials for the sake of its funding.\n\nNASA does public outreach, raising awareness of science and math in school age children.  This is probably the goal that directly involves the largest portion of the lay public.\n\nAside from that, it starts getting more technical, yet more beneficial to mankind.  Unfortunately most of mankind doesn't understand the 'why' or 'how' involved.  They may never notice that airplanes are becoming quieter and cleaner, that our ability to predict climate is improving, that our science books are being rewritten on a yearly basis.  \n\nNASA has invested a great amount of resources in looking at the background microwave radiation left over from the Big Bang, and looking for gravitational waves that distort space-time and answer fundamental questions about our universe.  At the heart of these space missions is actual science.  Physicists at NASA won Nobel prizes for their work this year, and will probably do so again.\n\nTechnology developed by NASA has helped a wide range of companies, from communications to mattress manufacturing.  This innovation is part of what fuels the entrepreneurial spirit in this country.  It's the reason why America is still a bastion of opportunity.\n\nThe missions that NASA embarks upon involves collaboration with a huge array of private companies.  Giants like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Thiokol are all involved in building the rockets, satellites, and space systems that NASA uses.  These companies also benefit when NASA develops new technology, because it is usually they type of technology that they cannot afford to develop yet.\n\nUnfortunately, the Big Bang, gravity waves, and Mars' atmosphere matter little to the bible thumping redneck.  They demand results for their tax dollars.  The fact that their children can dream of one day travelling to Mars or working with new technology means nothing.  To them, NASA is just another example of wasteful government beauraucracy even though it gets less than 1% of the federal budget.\n\nThat is why outreach is necessary.
14104
Why in the world would he want to do that? This is such a Stupid Question. Would you WASTE 4 billion if you had it hanging around? Think!
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.
939915
Those micro-organisms were proven to be fabricated. But of course, whywould they tell everyone that? Their evolutionistic brainwashing campaigns wouldn't get nearly as much funding then. No there is no life out there. What would be the point of creating life that isn't from Earth. God is smarter than you, much, much smarter. Organisations like SETI propagate this myth of alien life so they get millions in funding. The statement, "We are only 1 universe of billions and billions", is very misleading. The odds of spontaneous generation is greater than the amount of atoms in this Universe, and there is only one Universe.\n\nDreamers.
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.
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.
468087
I think it's the human desire of finding out the mysteries of our world and beyond. Not only that, there are the advances in science that come about from space research. eg teflon, satellite communications.\n\nThere will always be a need to help some group of people, but that also doesn't mean that we should stop everything else.\n\nPutting it another way, I guess one could say "why should you spend your money at the cinema, on a book on candy or anything else not essential to surviving when there are poor people starving in the world?"
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.
294827
The US states spends all that money on the space program, then when a disaster hits within the nation, there is "no money" to help the people.  Something is wrong with that picture.
256081
I understand your concern.  However, I think that the space program is a relatively small expenditure in terms of the U.S. budget.  It's about expanding possibilities for the future, but I think that it would be good to give more aid to those who really need it also.
567648
Someone already did invent an engine that ran on something other than gas.  It was covered up years ago and set on a shelf.  Because of the "financial repercussions of putting so many people out of business", so the excuse was at the time.\n\nObviously we should be spending more on becoming less dependent on oil and I certainly think the health care crisis in this nation is more important than seeing how much money they can possibly waste in the space program...good program, but other pressing needs are being ignored!
16683
I agree with bd, we help other countries more than we help our own and these people need our help. I understand your point but look at the monies our government wastes on less important issues. This one my friend is the best way I have seen in a long time to spend money, and if we don't rebuild New Orleans, what state is next? in a 100 years who knows what the earth will look like but I am all for preserving what we have and rebuilding when tragedy strikes.
278220
If we knew what we were doing, then it wouldn't be call research, would it?    -- Albert Einstein\n\nSpace research helps us to understand what is around us. We have gathered great knowledge (transistor radio to computer technology (don't knock it... you're using it now)). I don't know what the opposition would have as an argument except for the astronauts who WILLINGLY gave their lives for the greater good. They understand the risks and still jump for the opportunity to participate due to its findings.\nI believe space exploration is beneficial and should continue.
21074
I think we should cut the spending on Shuttle trips and put more of the dough into healthcare.  We need to focus more on our situations down here before we do so in space.