What N.A.S.A. SHOULD Be Doing...

I was just reading a thread about the new NASA vehicle that is supposed to replace the shuttle on this ATS thread, and the opening post by ATS user Aliensun got my attention; one specific paragraph in particular:

The reason for this grand new rocket is, of course, exactly what was announced in the above article, jobs for the aerospace industry. The big boys will fare nicely from that new surge, but many thousands of subcontractors across the country will benefit from this new endeavor as well. The key to economic recover is usually war. We can look at this NASA plan as somewhat of an alternative to weapons production or for ditch-digging for helping to produce jobs to aid the recovery that we desperately need.

I think that he hit the nail right on the head there. Instead of pouring all of our money into unsustainable foreign wars that only serve to divide humanity (not to mention killing innocent people,) we should all get behind the space program as a vehicle for economic recovery. Think about it for a second; where did a lot of the technology we enjoy today come from? Space exploration. Where would the world be without Velcro?

That was obviously an oversimplification; many of the scientific advances in chemistry, biology, and metallurgy over the past 50 years have come out of the space program. Instead of Velcro, think microwave oven and medicines that can only be synthesized in a zero-g environment. And then there are the jobs that would be created by humans working together to reach for the stars. I don't know about you folks, but I'd much rather my tax dollars be spent in the pursuit of scientific advancement than for the production of bombs. I'd also like for there to be some good paying jobs for my kids and grand kids, instead of minimum wage work at McDonalds or pushing papers for a multinational conglomerate; something that will actually contribute to the human condition.

So what do you good folks say?

I agree with you, just think how far into space we could get if we all co-operated in a global space progarm buliding something to get us to the nearest star systems.

reply to post by OldCorp


I would say that you also have hit the nail right on the head. It all sounds great on paper but its actually putting the plan to action that causes the problems. How can we the people, convince our leaders to stop making weapons and instead, invest in a brighter future for the generations ahead? There is just too much profit from war and if theres one thing TPTB love, its profit. No matter how many lives it endangers.

Also, i cant see them wanting our whole population to 'reach for the stars' so to speak. I think they see space as 'theirs' and they like it kept under wraps. Too much out there that they know about but we dont. Even though it is our right to know. They treat us like mushrooms...

Create a few massive primary self sustaining space vessals capable of holding 100 million current lives up to 1 billion in the future, and send it out to space to discover new worlds, each in different directions.

As they travel out of our solar system, they can set up way stations using materials from our planets, mining it and sending the vital ones back to Earth as repayment for such vessals expenditure.

When they discover new worlds capable of sustaining life, they will radio back to Earth for full colonisation and give a new direction for mankind's evolution.

We this generation may not see the fruits of our seeds sown today, but in time, our future generations will revere us for our sacrifice, rather than creating machines to kill fellow brothers and sisters over pathetic petty matters today.

A whole universe awaits us mankind......

reply to post by OldCorp


yes the space program did produce many valuable inventions , developements and technologies

but wars produced far , far more

Originally posted by ignorant_ape
reply to post by OldCorp

 

yes the space program did produce many valuable inventions , developements and technologies

but wars produced far , far more

Wars are unfortunately only a natural barbaric state that springs from our basic animal instincts despite the years of civilisational cultivation.

It will always be with us so long as the last human is not evolved beyond the jungles - the strongest chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

However, as we evolved realistically, comprehending full well our nature, the advancement of space can continue alongside war tech, and as space tech advances, its tech can be use for the advancement of our military defense against unevolved sub humans.

Just producing or praising or taking comfort in war tech alone is but only an excuse NOT to evolve beyond the jungle. Utopia had been a dream, but so too had the footstep on the moon. We as a race are fully capable of much more and beyond the jungles that seem to hold us back so regularly, if we but courageously try...

reply to post by iksose7


I'm all for profit. I'm not a Ferengi, but who doesn't like to have some Latinum in their pocket?

TPTB need to take a lesson from us hunters and farmers: husbandry is key. You don't just go out and kill everything you see, nor do you eat everything that comes out of your garden. You let the younger animals grow up to have offspring of their own before you harvest them, and in a farming context one must hold back some ears of corn to plant the next year (assuming it's not sterile GM corn.)

It seems like "they," whoever they are, are just bleeding us dry with no concern for the continuation of the species. That needs to stop. There is room for both profit and humanity in my universe.

this is a good thing but
I still think private/commercial space is the best way forward

I said it in another thread the other day.
I'd really like to see them using the new heavy lift rockets, capable of lifting up to 130 metric tons, to start bringing heavy duty materials into orbit, and using those materials to make a REAL DEAL space station. A space station so big, and well built, that space debris won't post a threat, that it could house hundreds, if not thousands of workers/scientists, that it could be big enough to house huge organic farms, big enough to house fleets of unmanned drones to be used for varying tasks, big enough to store massive amounts of raw materials. I also said I'd like to see them start building a huge colony ship, capable of holding massive multi-generational crews for long, long voyages to all these 'habitable' planets we keep finding. Big enough to house massive organic farms, like on the space station. Sure, the propulsion technology, as well as some other technologies aren't quite there yet, but they could start constructing the hull and interior of the ship, then put the vital stuff in when it's ready.
I'd also like to see a safe and reliable space elevator. Ideally, getting into space should be as simple as if you had to go to the grocery store. Sure, it took us a while to make the car, but it made going to the grocery store very, very easy once it was done. They just need to perfect the method of getting into space.

There are plenty of other technologies i'd like to see them working on more seriously. Gravity manipulation, better scanning technology, better force field technology, better energy generation technology.

Spend far less money on silly wars and start dumping it into this stuff. Just my opinion...

Cheers

Still dreaming about a "Maglev" -like cannon able to reduce the cost of sending stuff (and people) to low orbit..

Funding NASA research isn't really going to do much for the economy. Granted, it would redistribute some of the wealth. But without a return on the investment, NASA will always just be a big pit to shovel money into.

At least with weapons technology, you can sell it once it's developed.

I honestly think either NASA or some corporations out there need to take the initiative and start looking into the financial gains to be had through space travel aside from "space tourism".

Damn Oldcorp.

I would vote for you to be president

reply to post by allenidaho


Well, the meteorite belt would be an asset to anyone able to get there! Also , finding a way to produce and broadcast energy (solar) would be a major opportunity.

reply to post by OldCorp


Absolutely correct.

But we have bought into the Capitalist lie for so long.

Imagine if people were motivated by the betterment of mankind.
But were told the only motivation that is allowed is money.

reply to post by OldCorp


Totally agree with you Oldcorp, i recall when growing up in the 70's they were always talking about space being the future with orbitals for future human expansion and bases on the moon, shame none of it happened.

Isn't there a ton of tritium on the moon thats worth a fortune per kilogram - that would be a good place to start to get the finances flowing.

reply to post by Hopeforeveryone


You are thinking of Helium-3. On Earth it is made from the decay of tritium. On the moon, it is embedded in the soil. Helium-3 is believed to be the future of nuclear fusion technology.

Aside from that, there are thousands of asteroids buried just under the Moon's surface. There are potentially billions of dollars worth of precious metals just waiting to be dug up.

reply to post by OldCorp


Might have been a good idea before they gave all our money to the banks..

Now I think money is needed at home, not in space..

S&F for the idea, just a little late.

Why bother hearing what we have to say about it? Just listen to the fictional : "The Report From Iron Mountain".

Another economic surrogate that has been proposed is a series of giant "space research" programs. These have already demonstrated their utility in more modest scale within the military economy. What has been implied, although not yet expressly put forth, is the development of a long-range sequence of space-research projects with largely unattainable goals.

This kind of program offers several advantages lacking in the social welfare model. First, it is unlikely to phase itself out, regardless of the predictable "surprises" science has in store for us: the universe is too big. In the event some individual project unexpectedly succeeds there would be no dearth of substitute problems. For example, if colonization of the moon proceeds on schedule, it could then become "necessary" to establish a beachhead on Mars or Jupiter, and so on. Second, it need be no more dependent on the general supply-demand economy than its military prototype. Third, it lends itself extraordinarily well to arbitrary control.

Space research can be viewed as the nearest modern equivalent yet devised to the pyramid-building, and similar ritualistic enterprises, of ancient societies. It is true that the scientific value of the space program, even of what has already been accomplished, is substantial on its own terms. But current programs are absurdly and obviously disproportionate, in the relationship of the knowledge sought to the expenditures committed.

All but a small fraction of the space budget, measured by the standards of comparable scientific objectives, must be charged de facto to the military economy. Future space research, projected as a war surrogate, would further reduce the the "scientific" rationale of its budget to a minuscule percentage indeed. As a purely economic substitute for war, therefore, extension of the space program warrants serious consideration.
Source PDF Format - Whole Report Found @ :

www.google.com... sQL83f3KDQ&usg=AFQjCNFmhaxF7l5vnQed1I85ZCa2FA3jQA

Want to see more of the future played out from predictions of the past? Check it out :

Google Video Link

Brief Wiki on the ideas laid out, the fact ( ) it was a hoax, and more.

If you still think it's a hoax after researching, you're lost.