In 2010, Americans spent about as much on pet food

[Spidey2721]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/five-myths-about-nasa/2011/06/09/AGliJgtH_story.html

[Nitrousbird]

I'd rather my tax money go to NASA than some welfare whore popping out another criminal that will just leach off of society.

[justinwebb]

depressing that it is going away, thought that it would be around much much longer. Had hoped to go see the last shuttle launch too but im leaving for the Philippines soon and cant waste the money.

[87GT]

I'd rather my tax money go to NASA than some welfare whore popping out another criminal that will just leach off of society.

 

This.

[Bobby Lee]

Great article. As a long time fan of Arthur C. Clarke and Orson Scott Card I fully support NASA and any space programs. I wish this country wasn't so ignorant and thick skulled, and instead was capable of appreciating everything that the exploration of space can provide the human race.

[Draco-REX]

I just don't understand people who think the space program is a waste of money. The present and near-futures benefits are many and tangible. I wonder how many of those people that want NASA cut have a GPS in their phone or car. I also wonder if they believe that Earth's resources are infinite. We only have so much available to us here. We just need to reach a little higher to pluck the apple from the tree.

 

Really, I don't think people realize just how BIG space is. We're not talking about a lode of unrefined metals like you'd find in a mountain. We're talking about a lode the size of the PLANET ITSELF. Our solar system itself has an abundance of resources that's nearly inconceivable. We just need to figure out how to get all that energy and materials. And we won't be able to do that if we stick our heads in the sand.

 

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/65_years.png

The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision.

[ImUrOBGYN]

This sentence is full of dumb.

 

"And those who complain that it is a waste to spend money in space forget that NASA creates jobs."

 

NASA is a waste of government money for an agency that is technically private. Especially, when there are loads of private companies that can do what they do cheaper and with less red tape.

 

Im not saying Im disappointed in the lack of support or that there hasn't been great inventions that have come from NASA (and one great sugar momma years ago. ). However, like many things that have been infected by government, it became bloated and ineffectual.

[Spidey2721]

how the hell is it bloated? half a percent is bloated?

[Draco-REX]

However, like many things that have been infected by government, it became bloated and ineffectual.

 

As you say, that's a problem with the government in general. NASA isn't exactly buying gold-plated toilet seats. The TOTAL cost of the Mars rover mission was less than $300 million. Yes, that's million with an M. That word doesn't exist in most Government budgets. The cost for Afghanistan alone would pay for NASA for the next 20 years, or place the beginnings of a colony on Mars (worst-case budget.)

 

The problem I see with NASA going away is that the private sector won't do anything unless there's direct, tangible profit. The dreamers and the explorers won't have the budgets available to do things like go to Mars. Instead, without a group to actively go out and find solutions before we need them, the private sector will wait until those problems occur first.

 

Will we wait for resources like precious metals and fossil fuels to disappear before looking for them elsewhere? Are we going to wait for the world to collapse under the weight of 10, 20, or 50 billion people before we look for more room? We certainly aren't doing anything to curb our population growth. In fact we're still encouraging it.

 

If Mars has the sub-surface content that we think it does, some scientists think it could be human habitable (without environment suits) complete with forests in 200 years from the start of terra-forming. The sooner we start, the sooner we have another planet to expand onto. The old adage says the only thing not being made any more is land. Well, here's a way to make entire continents of land.

 

Maybe I'm just a hopeless dreamer. But I like to believe there's nigh infinite possibilities out there for us. We just have to reach for them. The apple's pretty high up on the tree, but when did we ever let that stop us?

[justinwebb]

Almost time for the last flight for shuttle Atlantis, been watching it for the past hour, pretty exiting less then 9 mins if the weather holds out

[Spidey2721]

sad day

[Trouble Maker]

The cost for Afghanistan alone would pay for NASA for the next 20 years, or place the beginnings of a colony on Mars (worst-case budget.)

 

Air Conditioning the military cost more per year than the entire NASA budget. :dumb:

[Spidey2721]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTuk93wEb1Q

[ansonivan]

In 2010 Sally Struthers spent more on ho-hos and toilet paper than NASA spent on the entire 30 year Shuttle project. Fact.