If it can NOT be applicable to anything even 10-20 years down the road then WHY is it being done?
"So that we know" and "so that we better understand" doesn't cut it anymore if there is no foreseeable use for the information.
If we cannot even live comfortably and indefinitely in orbit and get to and fro safely (as the current situation evidences) even just for the purposes of freefall experimentation then all the rest of it can be put aside until such time as its use is relevant.
IMO:
step 1) permanent Earth-orbit habitation WITH an iron-clad (and affordable) method of frequent transportation and supply.
step 2) the same goal around the Moon (obvious benefit of an orbital station first: rad shielding 50% of the time in orbit by the Moon's mass)
step 3) okay, NOW you can have an installation on the surface - a good place to work-out all the kinks expected in a longer-duration Mars mission (having an emergency 300k miles away is somewhat nicer than one around the opposite side of the Sun - you're only a few days from home)
God has nothing to do with it - He can ask His own questions if He has any.
Columbus was looking to make money and fame, and do it on Ferdy's & Bell's money instead of his own (the resulting syphilus epidemic was on-the-house).
Maxwell's early work dealt with the structure and behavior of Saturn's rings. His contributions to the study of gases is well known. His work on electricity and electromagnetism was based upon, and was an extension of, Faraday's theories. JCM only theorized about radio waves - Hertz discovered them. ALL of that: natural, observable, phenomena.
Regarding ballistics and computers: the computers existed. Is it any wonder that all kinds of things would be tried on them and some would consequently evolve the computer industry to what it is today? Manual ballistics calculators had been around for years (tables and slipsticks were used in both World Wars) and it is natural that the new computers would be used for faster calculations. Would computers have died-on-the-vine if the need for improved ballistics computations was nonexistent? Certainly not!
"Forging a destiny in the stars" is a pretty ideal; but there's a HELL of a lot of ground work that currently ISN'T being accomplished (and COULD be) to help humanity GET THERE.
So we can make the effort to start the process. I see no logical reason to impose a 10-20 year time limit on knowledge and learning. Good things often take time. There are more than a few discoveries and applications that took longer to bring to fruition.
"So that we know" and "so that we better understand" doesn't cut it anymore if there is no foreseeable use for the information.
Placing limits on what we can learn is a sure way to stifle progress. I think we owe it to future generations to learn what we can when we have the means and pass that information along, so they will be that much further ahead in building a better world (or worlds).
When a people begins to prefer shortsightedness over the long view, when we choose to look inward rather than outward, when we value material comfort over bettering ourselves and building a better life for our progeny, then we are going the way that many civilizations throughout history that have fallen have gone. Will America choose a similar path, or will we seek a greater destiny, something that goes beyond short-term visions? It is a grave choice and I hope we make the right one.
If we cannot even live comfortably and indefinitely in orbit and get to and fro safely (as the current situation evidences) even just for the purposes of freefall experimentation then all the rest of it can be put aside until such time as its use is relevant.
IMO: step 1) permanent Earth-orbit habitation WITH an iron-clad (and affordable) method of frequent transportation and supply. step 2) the same goal around the Moon (obvious benefit of an orbital station first: rad shielding 50% of the time in orbit by the Moon's mass) step 3) okay, NOW you can have an installation on the surface - a good place to work-out all the kinks expected in a longer-duration Mars mission (having an emergency 300k miles away is somewhat nicer than one around the opposite side of the Sun - you're only a few days from home)
Certainly an valid alternative view to the current situation and plans that have been put forth. Worth considering.
God has nothing to do with it - He can ask His own questions if He has any.
The context of my comment about God was to allude to the dangers of placing undue weight on quick monetary return. I'm sure God already has the answers to any other questions.
Columbus was looking to make money and fame, and do it on Ferdy's & Bell's money instead of his own (the resulting syphilus epidemic was on-the-house).
The point was that while Columbus may have started out with these short-term goals, he could not have known the long-term implications of what he was undertaking. The long-term objective of developing a viable, alternate trade route was likely done with a vision that went beyond a 10-20 year timeline.
Maxwell's early work dealt with the structure and behavior of Saturn's rings. His contributions to the study of gases is well known. His work on electricity and electromagnetism was based upon, and was an extension of, Faraday's theories. JCM only theorized about radio waves - Hertz discovered them. ALL of that: natural, observable, phenomena.
And both Faraday and Maxwell went about their business in all likelihood not knowing the long-term payoffs of their work. I doubt if either of them had in mind getting rich off of a telecommunications industry yet to be developed. But they did not cease their labors simply because they could not see a quick, ready turnaround on development of the knowledge they gained.
The work in did in lunar geology also involved natural, observable phenomena. What will come of it other than what we have already contributed to understanding in the field I know not. Maybe something more, maybe not. But I do not see that as being sufficient reason to quit.
Regarding ballistics and computers: the computers existed. Is it any wonder that all kinds of things would be tried on them and some would consequently evolve the computer industry to what it is today? Manual ballistics calculators had been around for years (tables and slipsticks were used in both World Wars) and it is natural that the new computers would be used for faster calculations. Would computers have died-on-the-vine if the need for improved ballistics computations was nonexistent? Certainly not!
My point was that knowledge and discovery moved forward beyond the initial limited vision. People working back then did not have the vision of the field we have today. But the key to moving the technology forward was NOT to impose arbitrary time limits on learning and development, and certainly not to listen to those who said it either could not be done or there was no reason to do it because we had all we needed to do at the time. Likewise, what we are doing today in space exploration and development may look, to us, like it is a useless endeavor, that we won't get a payoff in 10 years, so why bother? But if the history of science and technology teaches us anything, it is that we should not use that as a reason to cease learning everything we can, knowing full well that we often do not fully realize the fruits of our labors in any arbitrary timeframe.
"Forging a destiny in the stars" is a pretty ideal; but there's a HELL of a lot of ground work that currently ISN'T being accomplished (and COULD be) to help humanity GET THERE.
But there also is a lot of ground work being accomplished. And there will be more that will be accomplished. Those labors should not cease and I see no reason why we should not pursue parallel paths. I've said it before and I will say it again, I do not buy into this false dilemma of either/or. There is plenty of work to be done in both arenas, and we can do it, if we have the will and the vision. I fear if one or the other or both fail to be accomplished, it will be for lack of these.