Should NASA always tell the public the complete truth?

originally posted by: FlatBastard
a reply to: schuyler

The problem is that you think that the right to know the truth is something given to you by a government. Like I said, you are a good boy.

What because longer time on ATS = expert? Amusing to see you using this as an argument, old timer.

Because you have ZERO track record and have contributed ZILCH over the years. You have no reputation. You're a nobody. I never said the "right to know" was GIVEN to us by government. Where did I say that? That's your own sick fantasy. You made it up. I said that you have no "right to know." It's not that it is not GRANTED. It's just that there's no one to grant it. It's the opposite of what you are saying. You seem to feel that the government is OBLIGATED to tell you everything and I challenge that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you pay taxes (or not). Nobody cares. The government is not OBLIGATED to tell you anything. You're not in a position to demand anything at all. If the government decides to keep something secret for national security reasons, you have no LEGAL STANDING to object to that. The basic issue is this: You're not all that important or effectual. Like I said in my opening statement, you can rant and rave all you want and it doesn't make any difference. You have no "right" to know, whether you think so or not.

originally posted by: LookingAtMars
Here are a few questions:

1. If there is easily accessible water and a thicker atmosphere than is generally accepted should NASA tell the world?

2. If there is life on Mars that could be used for medicine or bioweapons should NASA tell the world?

3. If the light-toned fracture-fill material Curi is seeing is really gold and not calcium sulfate veins should NASA tell the world?

4. Should NASA keep secrets for good reason?

My answers:
1. YES!!!
2. No
3. Undecided
4. Yes

Now, here's why I said the above:

In regards to Mars having a potentially thicker atmosphere and water, I said yes because it might prompt for more investigations and/or planning for manned missions. We as a species need to start looking for more worlds to live on, because right now all it would take is one huge asteroid to wipe us all out. If Mars proves to me more likely to support life, that fact should help to spark a space race that will benefit us as a whole.

I treat this in a similar vein to the "should someone tell us aliens exist?" question: Right now, the people in positions of power are not out for peace: Say NASA does indeed find some kind of life: If they let everyone know, I don't think we as a whole are ready for that news. Plus, it would start a space race for the wrong reasons: to capture and study the lifeform. This could potentially kill us just as our microbes could potentially kill it: Neither species has an immunity to the others' bugs.

I'm not sure if NASA should tell anyone there's gold on Mars, as it might cause more harm than good. The good would be that space mining would start to gain traction as an innovative idea and business. However, unless some kind of unanimous proposal is signed by every nation on Earth, you would start to see more tension and wars between nations. If there's gold in them there hills, then some nation is eventually going to claim that part as "their" Mars sector.

Yes, NASA should keep secrets to themselves, as long as there is a good reason. For me, a good reason would be something along the lines of a mass extinction event that we cannot defend ourselves from (think huge asteroid coming straight for us in a couple days). I'd rather they not tell anyone than spark a worldwide panic.

-fossilera

originally posted by: khnum
No the truth would cause a large loss of jobs in the animation industry and at Universal studios.

I nearly choked on my coffee and laughed it all over the place, absolutely true though I believe the air brush monkey's are probably not the same guy's that work in showbiz.

To be fair if NASA found out the world was about to be hit by a moon sized elephant would telling the people cause a panic or would letting them stay oblivious until the giant elephant's trunk in the sky was undeniable be kinder, is it kinder to let people live a lie because of a fear or panic or is it kinder to let all know the truth and live in the real world not a controlled fantasy world.

Some would panic just as anticipated and even go on wild end of the world orgy's and cashless shopping spree's.

Some would lose there faith in whatever deity they worshiped.

Some would panic and sell all there stock.

Yeah disaster for some.


Other's would find peace.

Other's would find religion and build there live's around it with new found faith based stability.

Other's would buy all the stock's and laugh at the idiot's who panicked and after the dust settled if the earth still existed they would be the fat cat's.

So a great opportunity for other's.


The Truth Shall Set You Free.

Keeping people ignorant is all about control and nothing else.

Regardless of what is available on other planets, soon commercial enterprises and other non-us governments will have access to the info of what's really out there. So what difference does it make if they lie for 2-3 years more? Inevitably, other countries and companies will have the abilities to exploit the resources. Nasa may have had the upper hand for a long time, however, now it's time to produce or die.

a reply to: FlatBastard

If I may state a theory as I haven't seen a response to your question. Now I find this theory really cool, unlikely but amazing, anyway it goes that people once lived on mars many thousands of years ago and that the reason mars is so desolate is because through our over use of resources, and a massive war that ended all life and destroyed the atmosphere the survivors left mars for earth to save our species. Now let me go deeper, mars was not our first home one of our longest (hence why we have 25 hour sleep/wake cycles as opposed to 24) but not the first even in this solar system, our first planet was in between Jupiter and mars where the asteroid belt is now, it was a refugee planet for us that we ran to during our war with the Reptoids, Greys and a few others. As we were losing this war badly with billions of us and our allies the Illyrians (Nordic aliens) dying, they helped us make a last attempt to escape our home system, but we were followed and our planet destroyed (like aldaaran in Star Wars) we were backed up by allied forces as we ran to mars. The reptilians suffered large casualties and were unable to go to mars due to an inhospitable environment for them, so they skipped mars and began to colonize earth. Thousands of years later after we wrecked mars we went to earth. The reptilians already being here but hidden underground or in the ocean finally had a chance to wipe out our dangerous species once and for all but instead of another attack they've decided to infiltrate our society instead and destroy us from within. Now weather or not it's true is debatable but still pretty damn cool of an idea!

originally posted by: LookingAtMars
Should NASA always tell the public the complete truth?

LMAO.

And who exactly decides whether NASA is telling the complete truth or not?

You? A bunch of conspiracy theorists on the internet?

Yes NASA should tell the truth, but they won't as they want you dead!

Planet x likely passing in a matter of months, proven fact, see my thread and pics been following it for two years..

a reply to: moebius

I've decided based on a wealth of proof..

Why are you dissing us conspiracy theorists on a conspiracy forum, youre out of youre depth mainstream lapdog!

a reply to: LookingAtMars

MRO is not ESA's orbiter it is NASA's.

Of course you are correct , I blame Christmas alcohol for my slip although the recently arrived Trace Gas Orbiter is an ESA project that used a Russian Proton rocket to get it there without NASA's help.

NASA couldn't possibly tell the truth of most of that which they observe... Because they do not have a full understanding of these things themselves...
And thats a fact...
But this wont stop them from guessing assuming or even outright lying to us about them...

originally posted by: EndOfDays77
a reply to: moebius

I've decided based on a wealth of proof..

Why are you dissing us conspiracy theorists on a conspiracy forum, youre out of youre depth mainstream lapdog!

Whose proof? Yours?

a reply to: schuyler

Because you have ZERO track record and have contributed ZILCH over the years. You have no reputation. You're a nobody.

Easy there Conan the Librarian. Am I stepping on your lawn? Your argument of ATS seniority is a logical fallacy and are you really suggesting that your words should have more weight? It's not something you have any influence on anyways.

It's not that it is not GRANTED. It's just that there's no one to grant it. It's the opposite of what you are saying. You seem to feel that the government is OBLIGATED to tell you everything and I challenge that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know you pay taxes (or not). Nobody cares. The government is not OBLIGATED to tell you anything.

You are contradicting yourself here.....

And you keep looking at this from a legal perspective, I am looking at it from a moral perspective. I am not talking about military secrets and such, I am talking about secrets like the true nature of our reality, we have a right to know.

You're not all that important or effectual.

Speak for yourself.

a reply to: The Arbiter of Lies

It sounds cool and stuff but I have given up on space, it's a wild goose chase, it's just not happening.......for a reason.

Riiight....

Realy, if there were MORE truth in the world
we wouldnt have to bicker and start wars over
all the lies and fake news....

Stupid people do Stupid things

Id say the whole globe is insane and utterly
stupid....

I'm pretty sure that if Mars had a much thicker atmosphere and/or easily-accessible water, it would be detectable by various non-American spacecraft from orbit, or even telescopes on the ground. All those non-American landers crashed exactly due to martian atmosphere being too thin to support a proper parachuted descent.

While NASA may keep certain things secret if they have to do with national security or strict technological know-how, keeping (non-military) scientific results secret makes no sense and goes against the whole idea of what sience is about.

P.S. With NASA's budget getting squeezed more and more, ANY new or revolutionary scientific data they can deliver will increase chances of bigger funding, so it's only to their benefit.

originally posted by: FlatBastard
I am talking about secrets like the true nature of our reality, we have a right to know.

What makes you think NASA has these answers?

Not only do we not have a "right to know" about the true nature of reality, we don't have the capability.

a reply to: wildespace

Most others lost all contact with earth or were outright destroyed before ever entering the atmosphere of mars...

a reply to: Krahzeef_Ukhar

What makes you think NASA has these answers?

Because if I have them they do to. If they don't know more then there is no need to fake things.

Not only do we not have a "right to know" about the true nature of reality, we don't have the capability.

We are capable enough to disprove the current model.

a reply to: FlatBastard

So what is this true nature of reality that all those NASA nerds are keeping from us?

a reply to: Krahzeef_Ukhar

For starters, Earth is not a ball with a circumference of 24.901 miles.