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I wouldn’t put it that way, but I’d rather space exploration money focus on colonization and improving life on earth. For example, asteroid mining has massive p

I wouldn’t put it that way, but I’d rather space exploration money focus on colonization and improving life on earth. For example, asteroid mining has massive potential. What if rare metals suddenly were no longer rare? What could we make? What if we had outposts on other planets? How might that change perspectives and culture on earth? How might R&D to colonize Mars make life on Earth more resilient and sustainable? Searching for life elsewhere seems so empty and unsatisfying. Almost like a religious quest for enlightenment or something. If we found a fossil snail on another planet, then what?

selectnull 2y ago
> Searching for life elsewhere seems so empty and unsatisfying. To me, finding any extra terrestrial life, or even just a fossil of past life, would be the most exciting find in the history.
- dotancohen 2y ago
  It would answer humanity's longest open philosophical question. The religious and social consequences would likely change the course of human history. Imagine humans no longer fighting each other, but rather working together towards a goal. I can think of nothing that would catalyze such a change more than the discovery of extra terrestrial life. Even climate change isn't doing it.
  - ungreased0675 2y ago
    How do you think the discovery of extraterrestrial life would do that? I think most people would say “that’s neat” and continue living their life unchanged.
    - XorNot 2y ago
      Yes, I guess new ideas have never contributed to any change in social dynamics ever. That's the course of history you know: the social psychology and accepted wisdom is exactly as it is now, unchanged from Roman times because no new thinking based on discovery or philosophy ever led to a shift in the structure and beliefs of society.
  - selectnull 2y ago
    Yeah... I would go that far. Average human's life wouldn't change in short period. But on a larger scale of time, it could propel us to explore the universe.
  - WoogieWoogie 2y ago
    There could be immediate peace on Earth between all mankind once there is extra-terrestrial life to hate or fear instead.
    - selectnull 2y ago
      We are perfectly capable of hating them and ourselves at the same time.
JumpCrisscross 2y ago
> asteroid mining has massive potential Europa Clipper "is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission" [1]. If you want to mine asteroids, learning to send big spacecraft to the far end of the asteroid belt seems like a no brainer. > If we found a fossil snail on another planet, then what? Depends on what we find. Think about the density of medical knowledge we extract from the Amazon basin every year. New biochemistries could be game changing in ways we can't predict. (We have enough trouble predicting how known organic chemistries behave. It is overwhelmingly likely, if alien biochemistries exist, that they show us new science.) If it's similar to terrestrial biochemistry, on the other hand, that suggests our bodies might do better extraterrestrially than we've assumed. That, in turn, could catalyse the investment and support needed to mobilise a multi-generational effort towards colonising space. (Their morphology could also give us hints on how to survive in that environment. Biomimicry on a whole new level.) [1] https://europa.nasa.gov/mission/about/ https://europa.nasa.gov/mission/about/
thaumasiotes 2y ago
> If we found a fossil snail on another planet, then what? There'd be a massive jump in the likelihood of finding a living snail.
- A_non_e-moose 2y ago
  > There'd be a massive jump in the likelihood of finding a living snail. And there would be an ever bigger jump in the likelihood of some billionaire being the first to eat extraterrestrial escargot.
  - thaumasiotes 2y ago
    If you want to swallow something inedible, plenty is available here. Or elsewhere; you can eat a moon rock if you really want to.
MattPalmer1086 2y ago
We are brought into existence from dust, and marvel at the creation we find ourselves in. It looks like we're the only living things in this vast cosmos, how strange. But sure, we could just focus all our attention on increasing our industrial capacity and expansion. Although that also seems so empty and unsatisfying to me.

selectnull 2y ago

> Searching for life elsewhere seems so empty and unsatisfying. To me, finding any extra terrestrial life, or even just a fossil of past life, would be the most exciting find in the history.

dotancohen 2y ago
It would answer humanity's longest open philosophical question. The religious and social consequences would likely change the course of human history. Imagine humans no longer fighting each other, but rather working together towards a goal. I can think of nothing that would catalyze such a change more than the discovery of extra terrestrial life. Even climate change isn't doing it.
- ungreased0675 2y ago
  How do you think the discovery of extraterrestrial life would do that? I think most people would say “that’s neat” and continue living their life unchanged.
  - XorNot 2y ago
    Yes, I guess new ideas have never contributed to any change in social dynamics ever. That's the course of history you know: the social psychology and accepted wisdom is exactly as it is now, unchanged from Roman times because no new thinking based on discovery or philosophy ever led to a shift in the structure and beliefs of society.
- selectnull 2y ago
  Yeah... I would go that far. Average human's life wouldn't change in short period. But on a larger scale of time, it could propel us to explore the universe.
- WoogieWoogie 2y ago
  There could be immediate peace on Earth between all mankind once there is extra-terrestrial life to hate or fear instead.
  - selectnull 2y ago
    We are perfectly capable of hating them and ourselves at the same time.

JumpCrisscross 2y ago

> asteroid mining has massive potential Europa Clipper "is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission" [1]. If you want to mine asteroids, learning to send big spacecraft to the far end of the asteroid belt seems like a no brainer. > If we found a fossil snail on another planet, then what? Depends on what we find. Think about the density of medical knowledge we extract from the Amazon basin every year. New biochemistries could be game changing in ways we can't predict. (We have enough trouble predicting how known organic chemistries behave. It is overwhelmingly likely, if alien biochemistries exist, that they show us new science.) If it's similar to terrestrial biochemistry, on the other hand, that suggests our bodies might do better extraterrestrially than we've assumed. That, in turn, could catalyse the investment and support needed to mobilise a multi-generational effort towards colonising space. (Their morphology could also give us hints on how to survive in that environment. Biomimicry on a whole new level.) [1] https://europa.nasa.gov/mission/about/ https://europa.nasa.gov/mission/about/

thaumasiotes 2y ago

> If we found a fossil snail on another planet, then what? There'd be a massive jump in the likelihood of finding a living snail.

A_non_e-moose 2y ago
> There'd be a massive jump in the likelihood of finding a living snail. And there would be an ever bigger jump in the likelihood of some billionaire being the first to eat extraterrestrial escargot.
- thaumasiotes 2y ago
  If you want to swallow something inedible, plenty is available here. Or elsewhere; you can eat a moon rock if you really want to.

MattPalmer1086 2y ago

We are brought into existence from dust, and marvel at the creation we find ourselves in. It looks like we're the only living things in this vast cosmos, how strange. But sure, we could just focus all our attention on increasing our industrial capacity and expansion. Although that also seems so empty and unsatisfying to me.