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Ask HN: Why are we spending billions on Space Exploration?

10 points by artur_makly 8y ago

...when we’re in a planetary crisis? At this stage..what applicable value does it bring us?

grizzles 8y ago
For exactly that reason. The only viable long term climate change solution is to move energy intensive mining and manufacturing off planet. If your problem is with human space exploration, I agree that's a waste of time, best left to billionaires. However robotic is not.
PacifyFish 8y ago
Because that's what people with money want to invest in, because there is a potential market for space travel/tourism/mining, and because money isn't always allocated such that the benefit to humanity is maximized. Note that I personally am fine with billions going into space exploration, and I think it can be worked on in tandem with climate issues. Just trying to address what seems to be the crux of the issue - you're saying "shouldn't we..." whereas the world is saying "this is how things are."
zunzun 8y ago
Consider the recent Chinese far-side-of-the-moon probe: it forced them (cough, cough) to put a communications satellite around the moon, conveniently out of range for any US space-based anti-satellite weaponry which could disable a satellite in earth orbit.
tony-allan 8y ago
Because we are human and curious.
oldmancoyote 8y ago
Because pushing forward and outward, both geographically and socially, are what makes us human.
lexxed 8y ago
humanity ultimate goal is to travel to other solar systems. if we don't do space exploration to expand our knowledge and be content walking around on a thin crust of rock. its like frogs in a well there's a bulldozer coming and you can't see it or even aware of it.
11001100 8y ago
In this context, I like to think of the Kardashev scale. Humans should be at 0.73, maybe less. Our natural resources are limited, our consumption and development are endless...
- dasmoth 8y ago
  Where does your “should” come from? To my understanding, that’s very close to the current level[1]. So are you saying “here but no further” (and if so, why here rather that, say, 1980 levels?). What would be your preconditions for significantly higher energy usage? [1] - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale
veddox 8y ago
Why are we spending billions to watch a handful of people kick/throw a ball around a field? I'm not saying we shouldn't think about cost/benefit ratio in big science, but let's not be hypocrites and put all our society's big money projects on the table.
eliaspro 8y ago
My go-to recommendation to read whenever this question comes up: > In 1970, a Zambia-based nun named Sister Mary Jucunda wrote to Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, then-associate director of science at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in response to his ongoing research into a piloted mission to Mars. Specifically, she asked how he could suggest spending billions of dollars on such a project at a time when so many children were starving on Earth. [...] http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html
rajacombinator 8y ago
What crisis do you think we’re in? The one people on tv convinced you to panic over for their own benefit? We waste trillions on dumb planet side stuff, a few billion on space exploration is nothing.
thedevindevops 8y ago
Planetary crisis?

10 points by artur_makly 8y ago

...when we’re in a planetary crisis? At this stage..what applicable value does it bring us?

For exactly that reason. The only viable long term climate change solution is to move energy intensive mining and manufacturing off planet. If your problem is with human space exploration, I agree that's a waste of time, best left to billionaires. However robotic is not.

PacifyFish 8y ago

Because that's what people with money want to invest in, because there is a potential market for space travel/tourism/mining, and because money isn't always allocated such that the benefit to humanity is maximized. Note that I personally am fine with billions going into space exploration, and I think it can be worked on in tandem with climate issues. Just trying to address what seems to be the crux of the issue - you're saying "shouldn't we..." whereas the world is saying "this is how things are."

zunzun 8y ago

Consider the recent Chinese far-side-of-the-moon probe: it forced them (cough, cough) to put a communications satellite around the moon, conveniently out of range for any US space-based anti-satellite weaponry which could disable a satellite in earth orbit.

tony-allan 8y ago

Because we are human and curious.

oldmancoyote 8y ago

Because pushing forward and outward, both geographically and socially, are what makes us human.

lexxed 8y ago

humanity ultimate goal is to travel to other solar systems. if we don't do space exploration to expand our knowledge and be content walking around on a thin crust of rock. its like frogs in a well there's a bulldozer coming and you can't see it or even aware of it.

11001100 8y ago

In this context, I like to think of the Kardashev scale. Humans should be at 0.73, maybe less. Our natural resources are limited, our consumption and development are endless...

dasmoth 8y ago
Where does your “should” come from? To my understanding, that’s very close to the current level[1]. So are you saying “here but no further” (and if so, why here rather that, say, 1980 levels?). What would be your preconditions for significantly higher energy usage? [1] - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kardashev_scale

veddox 8y ago

Why are we spending billions to watch a handful of people kick/throw a ball around a field? I'm not saying we shouldn't think about cost/benefit ratio in big science, but let's not be hypocrites and put all our society's big money projects on the table.

eliaspro 8y ago

My go-to recommendation to read whenever this question comes up: > In 1970, a Zambia-based nun named Sister Mary Jucunda wrote to Dr. Ernst Stuhlinger, then-associate director of science at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, in response to his ongoing research into a piloted mission to Mars. Specifically, she asked how he could suggest spending billions of dollars on such a project at a time when so many children were starving on Earth. [...] http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html

rajacombinator 8y ago

What crisis do you think we’re in? The one people on tv convinced you to panic over for their own benefit? We waste trillions on dumb planet side stuff, a few billion on space exploration is nothing.

thedevindevops 8y ago

Planetary crisis?