3 ms·

I wonder if it wouldn't be possible to launch a multitude of craft orbiting in various places around the solar system and just stay primed and ready to intercep

I wonder if it wouldn't be possible to launch a multitude of craft orbiting in various places around the solar system and just stay primed and ready to intercept and explore these surprise interstellar visitor objects? Is it impractical to achieve this with something like a long-burning ion propulsion system? These things are really unique and it's not like we'll have any other way to explore something up close from outside the solar system

purple-again 7y ago
Sadly you will be met with the same arguments that have been brought out since before the time of the moon landing. Why? The money is better spent on maintaining our military advantage over other counties. It’s better spent on housing programs for the poor. It’s better spent on upgrading our crumbling bridges and roads. It’s better spent on new infrastructure like trains and nuclear plants. The list will be endless and all of these people are right. Their world views are no less correct than yours and their interpretation of how our shared resources should be spent equally correct. This is why capitalism is so effective. This is why Monarchies we’re so effective. These systems exist to channel the theoretical 1,000,000 humans away from spending all of their resources advancing 1,000,000 goals a single unit and instead advance one goal a million units (monarchy) or 5 goals 200,000 units (capitalism). Speaking more to the topic at hand, it’s great that we were able to make the progress that we have and let’s be honest that’s owed almost entirely to the moon race going public (same way gluten free everything is available now making the people that really need it very happy because they never would have received nearly as many units of productivity spent on advancing their problem if it hadn’t gone mainstream for a time).
- muxator 7y ago
  Shouldn't "monarchy" be compared to "democracy" instead of "capitalism"? The economic model pertains to a whole different plane, isn't it?
  - purple-again 7y ago
    In this instance no not at all. I can compare the sun to a box of Cheerios based on that fact that both are yellow and bringing the moon or Fruit Loops into the conversation because you missed the context is “yellow things” is not appropriate. Democracy has no place in what I am discussing. Monarchy and capitalism are both drivers of aggregating individuals labor into a small number of goals. Socialism and Democracy are both sources of driving individual labor into individual pursuits. Only the eye of the beholder can determine what is good or bad. A socialist democracy is most likely incapable of putting a man on the moon. A capitalistic monarchy is most likely capable of solving poverty within its borders (be careful what you wish for as you may be determined to be part of the cause of poverty and excised for the good oc The many).
    - me_me_me 7y ago
      China is capitalistic monarchy and so far it doesn't look like they are solving poverty.
deleted 7y ago
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tmsldd 7y ago
I was questioning myself the same question, and imagined that would be a perfect application for a surveillance system with 3 satellite placed at L3, L4 and L5 Earth-Sun Lagrangian points and 3 placed 120° from each at a perpendicular orbit with respect to Earth orbital plane.

purple-again 7y ago

Sadly you will be met with the same arguments that have been brought out since before the time of the moon landing. Why? The money is better spent on maintaining our military advantage over other counties. It’s better spent on housing programs for the poor. It’s better spent on upgrading our crumbling bridges and roads. It’s better spent on new infrastructure like trains and nuclear plants. The list will be endless and all of these people are right. Their world views are no less correct than yours and their interpretation of how our shared resources should be spent equally correct. This is why capitalism is so effective. This is why Monarchies we’re so effective. These systems exist to channel the theoretical 1,000,000 humans away from spending all of their resources advancing 1,000,000 goals a single unit and instead advance one goal a million units (monarchy) or 5 goals 200,000 units (capitalism). Speaking more to the topic at hand, it’s great that we were able to make the progress that we have and let’s be honest that’s owed almost entirely to the moon race going public (same way gluten free everything is available now making the people that really need it very happy because they never would have received nearly as many units of productivity spent on advancing their problem if it hadn’t gone mainstream for a time).

muxator 7y ago
Shouldn't "monarchy" be compared to "democracy" instead of "capitalism"? The economic model pertains to a whole different plane, isn't it?
- purple-again 7y ago
  In this instance no not at all. I can compare the sun to a box of Cheerios based on that fact that both are yellow and bringing the moon or Fruit Loops into the conversation because you missed the context is “yellow things” is not appropriate. Democracy has no place in what I am discussing. Monarchy and capitalism are both drivers of aggregating individuals labor into a small number of goals. Socialism and Democracy are both sources of driving individual labor into individual pursuits. Only the eye of the beholder can determine what is good or bad. A socialist democracy is most likely incapable of putting a man on the moon. A capitalistic monarchy is most likely capable of solving poverty within its borders (be careful what you wish for as you may be determined to be part of the cause of poverty and excised for the good oc The many).
  - me_me_me 7y ago
    China is capitalistic monarchy and so far it doesn't look like they are solving poverty.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

tmsldd 7y ago

I was questioning myself the same question, and imagined that would be a perfect application for a surveillance system with 3 satellite placed at L3, L4 and L5 Earth-Sun Lagrangian points and 3 placed 120° from each at a perpendicular orbit with respect to Earth orbital plane.