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I think you're combining two issues. Manned spaceflight beyond low earth orbit is about competition with rival nations, including national defense. Manned space

I think you're combining two issues. Manned spaceflight beyond low earth orbit is about competition with rival nations, including national defense. Manned spaceflight to orbit to conduct experiments - which is the only kind of manned spaceflight happening on a regular basis - has a ton of value. More and more of that will be automated, but we've been doing manned research in space for 60-plus years and the manned spaceflight programs that support that have been and still are indispensable if we want to remain a great power.

LadyCailin 1y ago
I don’t think America does. It wants to fuck over trans people, immigrants, and remove the rules for ultra rich people more than anything else, and that comes at a huge cost to America as a whole.
- exoverito 1y ago
  Hard to argue that trans people are critical to America being a great power. High skill immigration is generally beneficial, but mass illegal migration is far more dubious, as seen in Europe. The OECD just reported that high immigration has actually been negative for Canada, which has had anemic economic growth for the past 10 years. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/high-immigration-is-worsening-canadas-economic-problems-says-report https://nationalpost.com/opinion/high-immigration-is-worseni... I don't think tax cuts for the rich are very wise given the budget deficit, but continuously increasing government spending, taxes and regulation is not wise either. U.S. government spending as a percentage of GDP is the highest it's ever been, even more than during WW2. Over regulation is a major problem, as seen with CAHSR, and even figures on the left are starting to realize it, e.g. Ezra Klein.
  - standardUser 1y ago
    The US has (had) saved itself from the crippling demographic curve that looms over the rest of the Western world thanks to being a nation of immigrants. It also became the research capitol of the world, among countless other benefits gained from welcoming the types of people willing to take risks and go to a foreign land to build a better life. And unlike in Europe, immigrants to the US are overwhelming from similar cultural and religious traditions. It's only the MAGA few who buy into this whole anti-immigrant rhetoric. Even the Republican party still loves immigrants - as any business-oriented party would! - even if they're forced to pretend otherwise due to temporary political concerns.
    - xnx 1y ago
      Republicans are first and foremost the party of cheap labor and low taxes on capital
  - const_cast 1y ago
    I unironically think our treatment of trans people and other sexual minorities is key to the US' success. It contributes heavily to our reputation and image as a Bastian of freedom and individuality. That image is what is directly responsible for our brain-drain immigration and culture of diverse communities. All around the world, there are people who feel as though they don't belong where they are. They're minorities in one way or another. Sometimes racial, sometimes intellectual, sometimes sexual. Those people look to the US with starry eyes - as a heaven where they can be themselves and make something for their lives. The economy is really only half the story here. When we persecute trans people or other minorities we really chip away at that image and culture. And we can directly see the results - people don't look at the US like they used to. This image is becoming less and less popular globally.
- EasyMark 1y ago
  "it" doesn't . the MAGAs in America want that, and they're in charge right now.
  - LadyCailin 1y ago
    ~70% of the voting population didn’t vote against Trump. ~30% voted directly for him, but the other ~40% didn’t care enough to bother trying to keep him out of office. That is a damning number.
xnx 1y ago
> we've been doing manned research in space for 60-plus years and the manned spaceflight programs that support that have been and still are indispensable Is a large portion of this busywork to give the astronauts something to do?
- standardUser 1y ago
  Usually it is not NASA coming up with experiments, but rather research institutions and companies. They submit proposals to get their experiments done on the ISS and the process is very competitive.
- numpad0 1y ago
  They can't fix radiation problems unless they first establish a orbital shipyard. You need multiple feet thick walls made of dense materials to not die from radiation beyond LEO, and those walls would be just too heavy to lift off Earth with chemical propulsion. No one is going to pay for a bunch of Starship launches to completely wrap up a Dragon into a Starship sized concrete ball, and no one is going to sign up to spend years on it. And so they keep doing the busywork you mentioned, hibernation mode operation at minimum costs. It's still a lot of money on Earth but I suppose not so much in space.

LadyCailin 1y ago

I don’t think America does. It wants to fuck over trans people, immigrants, and remove the rules for ultra rich people more than anything else, and that comes at a huge cost to America as a whole.

exoverito 1y ago
Hard to argue that trans people are critical to America being a great power. High skill immigration is generally beneficial, but mass illegal migration is far more dubious, as seen in Europe. The OECD just reported that high immigration has actually been negative for Canada, which has had anemic economic growth for the past 10 years. https://nationalpost.com/opinion/high-immigration-is-worsening-canadas-economic-problems-says-report https://nationalpost.com/opinion/high-immigration-is-worseni... I don't think tax cuts for the rich are very wise given the budget deficit, but continuously increasing government spending, taxes and regulation is not wise either. U.S. government spending as a percentage of GDP is the highest it's ever been, even more than during WW2. Over regulation is a major problem, as seen with CAHSR, and even figures on the left are starting to realize it, e.g. Ezra Klein.
- standardUser 1y ago
  The US has (had) saved itself from the crippling demographic curve that looms over the rest of the Western world thanks to being a nation of immigrants. It also became the research capitol of the world, among countless other benefits gained from welcoming the types of people willing to take risks and go to a foreign land to build a better life. And unlike in Europe, immigrants to the US are overwhelming from similar cultural and religious traditions. It's only the MAGA few who buy into this whole anti-immigrant rhetoric. Even the Republican party still loves immigrants - as any business-oriented party would! - even if they're forced to pretend otherwise due to temporary political concerns.
  - xnx 1y ago
    Republicans are first and foremost the party of cheap labor and low taxes on capital
- const_cast 1y ago
  I unironically think our treatment of trans people and other sexual minorities is key to the US' success. It contributes heavily to our reputation and image as a Bastian of freedom and individuality. That image is what is directly responsible for our brain-drain immigration and culture of diverse communities. All around the world, there are people who feel as though they don't belong where they are. They're minorities in one way or another. Sometimes racial, sometimes intellectual, sometimes sexual. Those people look to the US with starry eyes - as a heaven where they can be themselves and make something for their lives. The economy is really only half the story here. When we persecute trans people or other minorities we really chip away at that image and culture. And we can directly see the results - people don't look at the US like they used to. This image is becoming less and less popular globally.
EasyMark 1y ago
"it" doesn't . the MAGAs in America want that, and they're in charge right now.
- LadyCailin 1y ago
  ~70% of the voting population didn’t vote against Trump. ~30% voted directly for him, but the other ~40% didn’t care enough to bother trying to keep him out of office. That is a damning number.

xnx 1y ago

> we've been doing manned research in space for 60-plus years and the manned spaceflight programs that support that have been and still are indispensable Is a large portion of this busywork to give the astronauts something to do?

standardUser 1y ago
Usually it is not NASA coming up with experiments, but rather research institutions and companies. They submit proposals to get their experiments done on the ISS and the process is very competitive.
numpad0 1y ago
They can't fix radiation problems unless they first establish a orbital shipyard. You need multiple feet thick walls made of dense materials to not die from radiation beyond LEO, and those walls would be just too heavy to lift off Earth with chemical propulsion. No one is going to pay for a bunch of Starship launches to completely wrap up a Dragon into a Starship sized concrete ball, and no one is going to sign up to spend years on it. And so they keep doing the busywork you mentioned, hibernation mode operation at minimum costs. It's still a lot of money on Earth but I suppose not so much in space.