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> I can hardly imagine a better investment in the future of the country, the future of science, and the future of humankind, than to explore the Solar System an

> I can hardly imagine a better investment in the future of the country, the future of science, and the future of humankind, than to explore the Solar System and develop the necessary technologies to enable humans to move off-planet in large numbers. If space exploration is so importanr to the future of humankind, why do Americans have to bear all the expense? A “puny” $22.6bn buys a lot of food and houses a lot of homeless people.

codeduck 6y ago
>If space exploration is so importanr to the future of humankind, why do Americans have to bear all the expense? Countries other than the United States are actively exploring the solar system, and until recently the United States had no independent capability for manned space flight and depended on Russia's Soyuz program. To claim that Americans bear all the cost is disingenuous at best.
michaelt 6y ago
> why do Americans have to bear all the expense? Good news: This very month, orbiters from the United Arab Emirates and China both reached Mars. And the latter even has an (as-yet-undeployed) lander.
- KDJohnBrown 6y ago
  Good. Let them pay for it. The usa has funded a disproportionate amount of space travel since the 1960s, money which in the end really goes to the military industrial complex.
actuator 6y ago
Other than the fact that there are multiple countries that have space programs. > A “puny” $22.6bn buys a lot of food and houses a lot of homeless people. This is reductive line of thinking. You can't equate spending on cutting edge research with taking away from welfare. Earth has finite resources and you need to be forward looking as well while taking care of the present. Also, it is not like all the research benefits just space exploration or MIC. For instance, research into hydroponics is being used on earth now to grow food with much less resources.
- KDJohnBrown 6y ago
  When 99% of the realized benefits are financial windfalls to arms manufacturers, is that 1% really so special? Americans happily spend excessively on war without blinking yet any suggestion that we devote resources to the welfare of our fellow human being is written off as “godless communism”. We are in the middle of the worst homelesseness, unemployment and food instability since the great depression. Why is that not of greater importance? A significant percentage of HN are randian free market fetishists. I say if space exploration has value then let the capitalists fund it, not the taxpayers.

codeduck 6y ago

>If space exploration is so importanr to the future of humankind, why do Americans have to bear all the expense? Countries other than the United States are actively exploring the solar system, and until recently the United States had no independent capability for manned space flight and depended on Russia's Soyuz program. To claim that Americans bear all the cost is disingenuous at best.

michaelt 6y ago

> why do Americans have to bear all the expense? Good news: This very month, orbiters from the United Arab Emirates and China both reached Mars. And the latter even has an (as-yet-undeployed) lander.

KDJohnBrown 6y ago
Good. Let them pay for it. The usa has funded a disproportionate amount of space travel since the 1960s, money which in the end really goes to the military industrial complex.

actuator 6y ago

Other than the fact that there are multiple countries that have space programs. > A “puny” $22.6bn buys a lot of food and houses a lot of homeless people. This is reductive line of thinking. You can't equate spending on cutting edge research with taking away from welfare. Earth has finite resources and you need to be forward looking as well while taking care of the present. Also, it is not like all the research benefits just space exploration or MIC. For instance, research into hydroponics is being used on earth now to grow food with much less resources.

KDJohnBrown 6y ago
When 99% of the realized benefits are financial windfalls to arms manufacturers, is that 1% really so special? Americans happily spend excessively on war without blinking yet any suggestion that we devote resources to the welfare of our fellow human being is written off as “godless communism”. We are in the middle of the worst homelesseness, unemployment and food instability since the great depression. Why is that not of greater importance? A significant percentage of HN are randian free market fetishists. I say if space exploration has value then let the capitalists fund it, not the taxpayers.