Space & Exploration

[thehod]

Technically, yes, but how much of that is actual useful information? I mean, you can get regular updates on what Miley Cyrus is wearing today, but that doesn't really do much to advance the species.

When people are using those very same devices to announce to the world that they didn't know that Titanic actually happened, then I'm of a mind to think that the availability of information is nothing without the willpower to get at it.

[Shellhead]

In general robots would be safer, but long term we'll have to look at manned missions because:
1 overpopulation

I reached that same conclusion when I first started reading about Malthus years ago. But the population of Earth has doubled in the last 40-some years. That's too fast. We're going to face serious overpopulation long before we find an inhabitable world that we can reach. And we're going to need some massive breakthroughs in science before we can even dream of colonizing anything outside our solar system. Or let's say we terraform Mars. We don't have the technology for that yet either, and such a process would probably take a long time. Meanwhile, our population continues to grow, even as our changing environment looms as a potential threat to our food supply. I'm not saying that everybody will starve, but I have doubts that we can feed everybody if our population doubles again over the next 40-some years. It's really stupid, because we condoms, the pill, and several other birth control options, but certain religions and cultures are just too damn irresponsible.

[Paradox]

Nah, I'm not worried. Natural disasters and wars keep us trimmed up fairly well.

[finfangfool]

I'm with the singularity guy, wait 'til that hits then upload your brain into robuts. Then we can explore/colonize to infinity (and beyond!).

[Charles RB]

I'm optimistic for all the things Ian listed - and also because China and India are talking a lot about going into space.

And if anything is going to kick space programs up the bum, it's going to be other nations jumping ahead of people like NASA, Roskosmos, JAXA, and the ESA who think they're the big boys.

[Michael P]

The Singularity is just the Rapture for tech-nerds. It's not happening.

[Charles RB]

The Singularity is just the Rapture for tech-nerds. It's not happening.

But without the series of really bad novels.

[dupont2005]

I reached that same conclusion when I first started reading about Malthus years ago. But the population of Earth has doubled in the last 40-some years. That's too fast. We're going to face serious overpopulation long before we find an inhabitable world that we can reach. And we're going to need some massive breakthroughs in science before we can even dream of colonizing anything outside our solar system. Or let's say we terraform Mars. We don't have the technology for that yet either, and such a process would probably take a long time. Meanwhile, our population continues to grow, even as our changing environment looms as a potential threat to our food supply. I'm not saying that everybody will starve, but I have doubts that we can feed everybody if our population doubles again over the next 40-some years. It's really stupid, because we condoms, the pill, and several other birth control options, but certain religions and cultures are just too damn irresponsible.

I don't think our species is near extinction, but a plague or famine could clear up our population problems fairly quickly. Much quicker than shipping billions of people off into space.

[Cavemold]

Speaking of space exploration Obama Judo chopped NASA budget
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...oration-suffer

[Winslow]

Chalk me up with those that don't see space colonization as the savior of the human race.

Maybe I am a blind optimist, but I really think when China and India have a higher human development index, then a lot of our population problems and strains will go away. And I think we're only a decade or so away from that.

[Kusanagi]

With the many, many, things wrong with the world today overpopulation is way down the list for me. Typically because most of the doomsday figures chart a continued rate of exponential growth, when developed nations (i.e. the nations that use up the most resources) already have seen their population figures either level, stagnate, or in the case of western europe decline. In the coming years I expect the same to happen to nations such as India as they gain more economic influence.

[Iangould]

Speaking of space exploration Obama Judo chopped NASA budget
http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/201...oration-suffer

From your article:

Due on Capitol Hill Feb. 13, the $17.7 billion NASA budget proposal represents only a slight reduction from the $17.8 billion Congress approved in November for 2012.

Aren't you the guy who keeps bitching about debt exploding under Obama?

[Iangould]

With the many, many, things wrong with the world today overpopulation is way down the list for me. Typically because most of the doomsday figures chart a continued rate of exponential growth, when developed nations (i.e. the nations that use up the most resources) already have seen their population figures either level, stagnate, or in the case of western europe decline. In the coming years I expect the same to happen to nations such as India as they gain more economic influence.

Yes btu the point is space exploration and development will assist those countries in growing their economies.

[Cavemold]

From your article:



Aren't you the guy who keeps bitching about debt exploding under Obama?

Not when it results to this

[Iangould]

Not when it results to this

The current lack of a US capacity to launch people ito space has nothing to do with Obama and everything to do with Bush.

If Obama had ordered a crash program to replace the space shuttle on his first day in office and thrown buckets of money at it, the situation would be the same.