| We hope you enjoy your visit. You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free. Join our community! If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features: |
| Questions for Buzz Aldrin | |
|---|---|
| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 23 2009, 12:22 AM (592 Views) | |
| ngc1514 | Jun 23 2009, 12:22 AM Post #1 |
![]()
Moderator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
From the Sunday NY Times Magazine with one of the saddest sentences I've read lately: Q. Are the days of American pre-eminence in space over? A. Yes. Or, as science and science fiction writer, Jerry Pournelle, wrote: "I always knew I would see the first man on the moon. I never dreamed I would see the last."
|
![]() |
|
| Mike | Jul 2 2009, 01:48 PM Post #2 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I don't pay much attention to space travel, but I do remember reading or hearing on the news about the various space programs and plans of other countries. I don't think we have space travel as a high priority at present. We have enough to deal with on this planet it would seem. |
![]() |
|
| ngc1514 | Jul 2 2009, 09:35 PM Post #3 |
![]()
Moderator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I'm sure that many Europeans felt the same way towards the end of the 15th and through the 16th centuries as the Age of Exploration opened up the rest of the world. |
![]() |
|
| Mike | Jul 2 2009, 10:22 PM Post #4 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
You are probably right. I think we need to evolve technology further before we spend untold $ billions using crude means of propulsion and life support in manned spacecraft. Robots are probably the best way to answer many of the questions. |
![]() |
|
| ngc1514 | Jul 2 2009, 10:48 PM Post #5 |
![]()
Moderator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The reason most of the exciting space probes of the last 35 years have been robotic probes is because they are cheaper and don't face the issues of keeping humans alive or the requirement of bringing the crew back home. Alas, they also don't have the immediacy obtained by putting man's feet on the ground of new worlds. While robots can do a large number of things, they are not infinitely programmable like a man nor do they return the aesthetic impressions only a man can return. Untold billions? The space program has been one of the cheapest programs our government has run and the only one that returns more on investment than put into it. Much of today's technology that we take for granted was developed - directly or indirectly - from money spent on space exploration. And it leaves off the possible returns from pure research - something that can never be measured before the fact. Waiting for technology to catch up will always keep us in the rear of the world's space programs. |
![]() |
|
| Mike | Jul 9 2009, 01:40 PM Post #6 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
I doubt congress will fund the money required to visit another planet. It doesn't appear to be very high in priority right now. So apparently we are going to fall behind the efforts of other nations in space exploration. I thought the space station was designed for research and finding new applications we can use here? |
![]() |
|
| ngc1514 | Jul 9 2009, 10:53 PM Post #7 |
![]()
Moderator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
The obvious solution is a world-wide effort to settle the Moon with a permanent colony and the put man on Mars. |
![]() |
|
| Mike | Jul 11 2009, 08:39 AM Post #8 |
|
Administrator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
A cooperative effort does make sense. Spread the cost around and share the benefits. |
![]() |
|
| Deleted User | Jul 14 2009, 10:26 PM Post #9 |
|
Deleted User
|
The human race would have a better chance of survival if we spead out a bit. Obviously finding another colonizable, inhabitable, planet is beyond our means for at least another century. if not longer. We are unlikely IMO to still be here, at least as a spacefaring technological society, by then. A small leap in technology may however enable conlonization of a distant planet by risky one way journeys. The technology is close to finding planets that may be suitable and it now appears planets are common, albeit maybe not habitable ones. That is assuming of course, they are not already occupied by some sort of intelligent life themselves. Mind you that fact has not stopped us from displacing others in the past. That brings up the uncomfortable prospect that something else may have that attitude towards us and we have certainly been advertising our presence here for awhile. |
|
|
| ngc1514 | Jul 15 2009, 12:10 AM Post #10 |
![]()
Moderator
![]() ![]() ![]()
|
Alas, I suspect your points are true, telcoman. It's going to take more than a small technological leap to send us outside the Solar System even in those generation ships loved by sci-fi writers. Wouldn't be surprised to discover the research, technology, planning and construction of even a single generation ship would consume the planet's total GDP for years. A HUGE capital investment for which there would be no possibility of any return from the mission itself. The Biosphere and Biosphere 2 projects showed the incredible difficulties in creating an artificial, self-sustaining environment for a small group of people. Solving those problems alone would be a major undertaking. It looks like our Solar System will be mankind's playground for the foreseeable future.. but that's a pretty remarkable buncha bodies to explore! And they are right in our backyard. Edited by ngc1514, Jul 15 2009, 12:11 AM.
|
![]() |
|
| 1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous) | |
| « Previous Topic · RV AND CAMPING DISCUSSION · Next Topic » |






![]](http://z3.ifrm.com/static/1/pip_r.png)



12:40 AM Jul 14
