The Moon? Mars? Forget About It!

MichNews.com ^ | 12/01/04 | Alan Cruba

[KevinDavis]

Very short sighted ....

[KevinDavis]

[U S Army EOD]

If I am not on the list, put me there.

[cripplecreek]

If theres one thing JFK was right about it was the need to explore space. Too bad he isn't around to slap some sense into todays democrats.

[Pelayo]

"... Blah, blah, blah, it's too hard, we can't do it, space sucks.... blah, blah, blah..."

[Names Ash Housewares]

How about forget about this fool. This country was founded on exploration and risk taking. That is why we are even here in the first place. These guys have always been around, the Earth is flat, man will never fly, will never go faster then sound, will never go to the moon. For centuries people like this make the same arguements. They were wrong everytime. Besides, he cant stop it, it is in our nature as humans beings to explore. It is inevitable. If it were not our nature we would have perished long ago.

[KevinDavis]

I just ignore these people sometimes...

[KevinDavis]

I agree with you.. I would like to see the ideals of our founding fathers spread throughout this universe...

[tet68]

This guy thinks that's a lot of money, someone
should tip him off to the MUCH vaster amount
poured down the social/welfare rat hole since
LBJ foisted the "Great Society" off on this nation.

[Technical Editor]

We have to start now to find a new home. ; ) Five hundred or so million years will pass before you know it, and this neighborhood will have degraded severely.

[CROSSHIGHWAYMAN]

I envision three ways for humans to leave this planet in the distant future.

1. Necessity.....we will use up all the raw materials and energy supplies and or be threatened with extinction from an asteroid impact.

2. World wealth will grow to where anything is affordable.

3. Earth will be visited by friendly aliens.

[LauraleeBraswell]

JFK was so sickly he could hardly stand and he had no sense to slap

[KevinDavis]

There is a double standard with NASA...

[cripplecreek]

I wouldn't rely too heavilly on my sense if I were you.

[tellw]

I'd hate to be stuck in a space walk having to yell, "Open the pod bay doors, Hal."

[MagnumRancid]

I think there are more possibilities than three, and I actually don't believe in "Friendly Aliens".
Profit could be a great motivator. There is money to be made in space, big money. The development, tooling, and infrastructure building requires the government,most likely.
I would not be surprised if the first "space colonists" were some religious sect or cult.
The author of the article is correct that robots could do the exploration and most of the work more efficiently and economically than humans. We're going out there. Out of necessity or curiosity, we're going. I won't live long enough to see it but my granddaughter might.

[MagnumRancid]

Are you saying NASA sucks hind teat?

[Old Professer]

[Search4Truth]

They need to get some robotic HDTV cameras on Mars and make a feature presentation. They could do it for a fraction of the cost of sending humans and do it a decade sooner. That way everyone could take a virtual trip to Mars. IMAX could make a fortune. The profits on the distribution rights to the film could be, well, out of this world.