Frustrated at the slow pace of Space exploration....

So many passionate responses so little Space exploration. As one of the responses says there must be much more up there than what we know about; that's what I think as we'll. in a conspiracy twist, I think that the public's attention is to be diverted or be convinced of the unimportance of something such as Space, while TPTB do R&D. That just my 2cents.

I think we need a revolution. Not a revolution of violence but one of innovation where we( the people) don't sit around and wait for TPTB to deliver the future that was promised a long time ago.

Lunette
I know how you feel. I was hoping we'd be farther along by now.
So far the only progress of much I've seen is the added giga bytes to a friggin laptop. I remember when they all were like 1-4 gb, now we see them at 6-8.

Not the progress I care much about though...seriously at least solve the cancer problem a little faster? :[

I want space travel...visits to other planets! Friends that are different races from our own

It would be so cool.

cancer? in our "profit" world...cures mean end of profits, maintenance drugs means more profits...there will be no more cures, well, except those that go to the extremely wealthy

and space travel? geez, we can't even solve the problem of paying a living wage to workers, or trying to get the tribes of earth to work together for the betterment of all. we can't stop crapping (polluting) in the only room (earth) we live in. we still regard killing each other as an option to ending disagreements. we still regard the betterment of self, rather than all, as it pertains to human success. we still use mythical god or gods and devils or demons as a crutch for our own shortcomings. we still use ( "they and "us") to create fear and separation, rather than understanding and cooperation....why would any alien life want to meet with humans...we, to them, are primitive, stupid, and dangerous.

reply to post by lostbook

It's very simple: compare the funding for NASA with funding for Dapartment of Defence. The powers that be are more concerned with geopolitical matters and world domination than with space exploration. Even our rockets and spacecraft like the Shuttle were originally based on the weapons technologies, i.e. spying, ICBMs, satellite warfare.

The day we will all stop fighting each other and stop trying to dominate each other, is the day when we reach for the stars.

There's also the matter of supporting humans out in space. We may have the technology to get to Mars and beyond quicker, but do we have the technology and science to support crews of astronauts on months' or years' long expeditions far away from Earth?

lostbook
Here's the title of a recent article on Space.com. "High-Tech VASIMR Rocket Engine Could Tackle Mars Trips, Space Junk and More"

They talk about the V.A.S.M.I.R. as if it's new technology; but it's not new, it's been around for about 30 years. If we had've developed the technology and used it we could be out farther than Voyager by now. Chang Diaz and Ad Astra are just now going to be testing the technology on the ISS soon.

Why the baby steps? Why take so long to do something? Why are TPTB still talking about V.A.S.M.I.R. like it's an emerging technology even after almost 30years? I know the initial Space Race was because of the Colr War, but over the years we've learned that there are so many benefits to Space exploration, far too many benefits to list in this post.

I'm frustrated.

Simple answer as it's so EASY why don't people like you stop complaining and DO IT YOURSELF, after all it seems to be a piece of cake according to people with your view so get started!!!

I am totally against half the taxes levied against us here in the US...but I'd be just fine with a "space exploration" tax. I'd be glad to donate what they unconstitutionally steal from me as an income tax and turn it over to developing tech to help us explore space.

ETA: as long as there was public oversight of the funds and independent accounting being done. I'd hate for it to be syphoned off to fund black budget tech that will help the public none.

Money. The amount of money that the USA directs towards space exploration through NASA is small in comparison to other areas of national expenditure. Currently less than 1% of the federal budget. It has been at this level for most of the time NASA has been in existence. At the heady days of the space race it soared to a great big 5%.

Waste. - The funds that are assigned are directed in a manner that maximises pork rather then maximises exploration or scientific benefit. NASA is full of genius idealists whose actions are directed by the most venal and ignorant people on planet earth and then randomly redirected every few years by an fresh batch of idiots. Its a miracle they have achieved that which they have.

The vast majority of people have limited imaginations, dont give a #, and have been conditioned by the media that space technology can be pulled out of the nations arse in a matter of days in response to a celestial threat. As such there is no groundswell of opinion to force resolution of either the funding or waste issue.

Thats why.

lostbook
Why the baby steps? Why take so long to do something?

What's the hurry? It's not like the universe is going anywhere. And it's also not like a vigorous space program is going to solve all (or any) of our problems. It's massively expensive, and so far the only companies who can afford to do it are countries who use it to gather a little knowledge and for white collar welfare. Keep your engineers and technicians busy and well paid so they won't take their expertise elsewhere.

Okay, so you want to ride on a spaceship and see cool stars and flying saucers. Believe me, unless you're currently studying to be an astronaut, you're not going anywhere. Learn to enjoy the wonders of this planet, because you're stuck on it until you die.

Spookybelle


We aren't in space because there is really nothing up there we've found worth value yet. Once there is though, I imagine it will be similar to the Gold Rush in California.

Except the near eath objects made of rare earths that could fullfill all our needs for centurys Link

And a moon with more hydrocarbons in one lake than what we have in the entire earth link so yeah there are riches just in our solar system itself.

You know what killed space exploration and most importantly in my opinion space explotation?

Hippies.

If is was not for the nuclear test ban treaty (or at least a badly worded one) we would have got the Orion space craft link a ship capable of lifting a 4 MILLION ton ship into orbit. FOUR MILLION TONS. Just a couple of launchs would have put the infrastructure in orbit to allow for orbital ships building and space habitation, not rickardy old chem rockets and stations that look tike they are made out of tin foil and tin cans but solid large strutures and ship capable of providing radiation sheilding and Centrifugal artificial gravity (the spinning wheels) with engines like the VASIMR capable of putting even the outer planets in reach of a few months. Hell just the Orion engine alone was theorised to get to 10% the speed of light. If launched in 1970's like planned we could have had probs IN OUR NEAREST STAR SYSTEMS TODAY!.

But no we banned the most effective way to get large amounts in orbit cheaply so we are stuck with obsolete expensive chem rockets that doom space exploration ........

winofiend


No other places we know of currently, have these things and we cannot take enough of them with us to go anywhere serious.

Except we could if he didnt have to rely on the obsolete out dated chem rockets that can barely lift a feather into orbit.

wmd_2008
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Simple answer as it's so EASY why don't people like you stop complaining and DO IT YOURSELF, after all it seems to be a piece of cake according to people with your view so get started!!!

O I would. Give me a couple of billion $$ and excemption from the nuclear test ban treaty and with in 10 years I will bring in a couple of trillion $$.

reply to post by crazyewok


I understand that but it is cost efficient yet to go up there and extract them?

Are there government regulations preventing corporations from exploiting those resources?

Answer those two questions and you will see why we are not in space yet.

Spookybelle
reply to post by crazyewok

 

I understand that but it is cost efficient yet to go up there and extract them?

Yes if Nuclear propulsion was allowed. You could bring in trillions for the cost of a few billion. I think if I rember from a documentry on it the project leader said that once the infrastructure to build to engines was up and running you could launch 4 million tons for the price of the few hundred we launch now.

Spookybelle
Are there government regulations preventing corporations from exploiting those resources?
.

Yes the Nuclear test ban treaty that forbids the dentonation of nuclear devices above ground.
Thats what pisses me off.
Remove that allow private company to do it and they would jump at it I bet.

reply to post by Blue Shift


Theres no hurry until a massive space rock appears at short notice on an earth impact course.

Unfortunately by that time it'll be too late to do much about it. We will probably go out of existence as the first earthbound species that could defend itself from cosmic threats but preferred not to.

I see this is a real possible fate for us and its sad. The dinosaurs at least had the excuse that they didn't know any better. We have the ability to be a multi planet species and own our own cosmic back yard. We just collectively cant be bothered.