Space Exploration - do we need it?

Posted: 17 years ago
hello!!

Every year millions of dollars are spent on space exploration. Millions are spent to satisfy human curiosity of the world that exists beyond us.

Some justify this, saying that they may find water, or existance of alians somewhere. Or it just helps answer our questions.

Personally, it is intriguing to know what lies beyond our world. But is it worth spending millions and billions on? I mean we have bigger issues at hand to handle. Like poverty, aids, cancer that this money could be channeled to. Or the illetracy in developing countries. The money that could be channeled to space exploration could be channeled here.

So, do we still need space exploration? I dont know! What do u think?
Posted: 17 years ago
I love this one!! I'll come back later with my views.
Posted: 17 years ago
I love science and astronomy. SO i do favor space exploration. Agreed that we have alot of problems in our own hands to deal with in this world...but i think for our own knowledge we need to explre. the space tends to change or we find new discoveries and update science books....also ppl are already buzzing abt moving to MArs when EArth becames populated/ overcrowded.
Posted: 17 years ago

Dear Sneha ji!!

I too really wonder "What if there are traces of water in Red planet..... I should have ample water in my city"

"What if some planet comes in between two planets(occult..).... I should bother if anyone comes in between me and my friend"

But.. this is not the right thought.We need to have curiosity to learn new things,exploring new things only then life becomes wonderful,so scientists belong to this category of people who want to know something about heavens ....We need to understand the beauty of those expolrations only then we can feel for it.

I feel like posting this here:

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

However each idea,each necessity and want is relative.Whatever is a luxury to me may be a damn important necessity to you.So everything is relative.

Have a glance at this:

Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love. How on earth can you explain in terms of chemistry and physics so important a biological phenomenon as first love? Put your hand on a stove for a minute and it seems like an hour. Sit with that special girl for an hour and it seems like a minute. That's relativity.

Cheers,

Mythili

Edited by mythili_Kiran - 17 years ago
Posted: 17 years ago
Mars mission is one of the biggest international joint ventures into space. Let's look at the positive aspects of such a massive mission. These missions definitely will help us discover whether Mars can be suitable as a second Earth. Further missions to Mars may help us understand our own Earth's future if we choose to ignore its precarious state. These missions not only benefit us in the FUTURE, but try to realize its advantageous changes at the present time. There is much to gain from these missions as they also bring different countries together. If unity has to be initiated through space programs, then why not. Contributions by different countries for this one purpose bring them together and increase the hope for peace. These space programs also create job opportunities and therefore increase employment all over the world. The public ends up utilizing new technology that was specifically designed for Mars exploration. For example, the heat resistant foams are now used in construction of homes and other buildings. I think Mars mission is another knowledge quest which will help us in the future and is proving advantageous to us today. But, I fail to see the point of just giving away money to third world countries. There are barely any improvements to these countries. The money donated is sucked in by executives for self-profit. Even governments of these countries are too corrupt to spend money for the people. North Korea and America are spending money for wars, instead for the development of their countries. If money is the concern, then funding should be snatched from the prospect of war, rather than research. I think the Mars missions are just another step towards the development of the world, where nations stand united. It is another path towards the betterment of the people and the home we call Earth. Edited by bsmartguy - 17 years ago
Posted: 17 years ago
I support space explorations!!! πŸ˜›

- The knowledge aspect as everyone mentioned! When we can study and put resources on Archeology, Egyptology, History, Anthropology, etc... WHY not Space exploration!?

- Global positioning system, Satellites, Weather Satellites, etc are invented DUE to Space technology!!

- Many instruments/techniques used by Cosmonauts are now a part of our daily life.

Posted: 17 years ago

GOSH! Not againnnnnnnnnnn   πŸ˜†

I have got the some rebuttals... again πŸ˜† . After this... I won't post Rebuttals here in this thread πŸ˜³ 😊

[quote=Dr Uncle]1, The resources put into studies of things here on planet Earth are in Millions. The resources put into space are in Billions.[/quote]



Creation of the Internet: The USSR's launch of Sputnik spurred the United States to create the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA, later known as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA) in February 1958 to regain a technological lead. ARPA created the Information Processing Technology Office (IPTO) to further the research of the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) program, which had networked country-wide radar systems together for the first time. J. C. R. Licklider was selected to head the IPTO, and saw universal networking as a potential unifying human revolution.

After much work, the first node went live at UCLA on October 29, 1969 on what would be called the ARPANET, one of the "eve" networks of today's Internet
[Source: Wikipedia]

This research took billions too...
[quote=Dr Uncle]2, Do we have to land on Mars or determine the nature of rings of  Saturn to have GPS in our cars or get live sattelite telecasted televised events or know about the holes in ozone layer?

3,Why is it that the same instruments that were developed for astronuats first and then became part of everyday activity were not developed for common people to begin with?[/quote]

Space exploration has also led to many indirect benefits. The challenge and difficulty of the space programme, and its ability to draw on some of the finest minds, has brought about great leaps in technology. The need to reduce weight on rockets led to miniaturisation, and so to the micro-chip and the modern computer. The need to produce safe but efficient power-sources for the Apollo missions led to the development of practical fuel-cells, which are now being explored as a possible future power-source for cleaner cars. The effects of zero-gravity on astronauts has substantially added to our knowledge of the workings of the human body, and the ageing process. We can never know exactly which benefits will emerge from the space programme in future, but we do know that we will constantly meet new obstacles in pursuit of our goals, and in overcoming them will find new solutions to old problems. [Source: Space Exploration Debate]


Hence.. for every Major discovery.. small discoveries are made for them... Necessity is the mother of invention πŸ˜‰

Dr Uncle... i would agree to disagree here... 😊

Happy Debating! 😊

Edited by MNMS - 17 years ago
Posted: 17 years ago

Abhijit ji!!First you need to take a break.You are walking soo much and please give some time to your brain to think!!!

See !!! If Leaders in India think "Ayyo!!! Still somany people are not having basic aminities like pizza,makhan ,pasta ,nastha and cell ;Why  should we bother about Information technology,Space technology...." then India might have been an underdeveloped country,now at least India is trying to maintain its status as "developing country".So I feel research and development should go hand in hand .Common man has nothing to do with research as he is not part of that research but he needs to wait to enjoy the fruits of research.

Cheers,

Mythili

Dr Abhijit

I don't want to pick a fight...just address these three points and I will be happy as a pig in pile of dirt!

So by making this post ,Yo!!! I feel like a modern day's Abraham Lincoln getting out of his vehicle to help a pig come out of gutterπŸ˜›

Edited by mythili_Kiran - 17 years ago
Posted: 17 years ago
ROFLLLLLLLL πŸ˜† ... Mythili... you have surpassed me in pinching Dr. Uncle πŸ˜› ..Gosh!!!.. Uncle... you have my full sympathies !!!! 😳 😳 😳
Posted: 17 years ago
Originally posted by abhijit shukla


Here we go. This is Deja Vu all over again.

1, The resources put into studies of things here on planet Earth are in Millions. The resources put into space are in Billions.

2, Do we have to land on Mars or determine the nature of rings of  Saturn to have GPS in our cars or get live sattelite telecasted televised events or know about the holes in ozone layer?

3,Why is it that the same instruments that were developed for astronuats first and then became part of everyday activity were not developed for common people to begin with?

 

I don't want to pick a fight...just address these three points and I will be happy as a pig in pile of dirt!

Many a times it is a good idea to step away from a problem, get a bigger picture, and then look for a solution.

Space exploration is one of those things

If you think of things on earth, you get personal, get a lot of hinderances thrown in your path, such as religion, region, nationality, etc.

With Space research you are almost trying to solve an abstract problem, whatever good comes out of it, certainly gets extrapolated to things on this planet itself

Ok

Also side notes, We are fast eating up into the resources on this planet, and will soon need be out of it and more importantly for me, I am curious as to where certain people came fromπŸ˜‰

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