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I seem to remember and later I will find the exact quote, that funding space exploration, accorrding to Dr. Carl Sagan would cost all Americans 1 penny a year to fully fund an aggressive space exploration program. The government spends more on defense and projects like how fast catsup moves on an inclined slope than the entire NASA budget, i would think that that argument they we shouldn't spend money on an aggressive space exploration policy is a little bit silly.  

Yes, we have problems that need to be solved but in my opinion going forward and exploring and pushing limits is what we humans do best and only in the forward expansion of our horizons will finally solve the problems we face.  Who knows, solving a problem about interplantetary flight for humans may solve a problem on a a blue dot called Earth.

Joe

[Edited to separate quote from response - JB]

Edited by JohnByrne2 on 18 July 2014 at 6:27am

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There's no such thing as a "safe" space program, any more than there is "safe" air travel, or automobile travel, or train travel, or boat travel.

People + machines + movement = eventual disaster.

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UGH!!!! Read the book!!

The same is true of the various planetary missions. Spectacular pictures of Jupiter or Saturn, or any other planet, are less exciting to Joe Public, who can see them in the latest sic-fi movie, often even MORE spectacularly.

Civilians have a problem translating the space program into improvements in their daily lives. There is a well known, if likely apocryphal, story of a NASA spokesman appearing before Congress in the Seventies, there to justify the space program's budget. "Let's add up all the things the space program has given us," he says. "Take out your pocket calculators." All the Representatives do so. "Okay," says the NASA guy, "that's one. . . "

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The truth is scary. Since Copernicus shoved the Earth out of the central position in the Solar System (and by inference, the Universe), those of small intellect but large faith have struggled against the constant diminishing of our Place.

A while back I was chatting with one of my science savvy friends, and observed (I may have posted this here), that when we look at the Universe, we see that the manufacture of stars is something that happens A LOT. Stars are actually quite ORDINARY. And there are lots and lots and lots of galaxies, so stars clumping together to form them is also quite ORDINARY. Now astronomers have determined that there are more planets in our Galaxy than there are stars, so planet formation is clearly quite ORDINARY, too.

It becomes harder and harder for rational minds to claim that we, humans, are the pinnacle of "Creation." But for the irrational, that remains a central premise, to be defended even at the cost of lowering the educational standards of our children.

I take no real issue with this statement except to add that
military spending IS science and technology spending. It's
also the way so much new technology reaches our markets and
hands.

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Necessity is the mother of invention. Not that I think war is as necessary as some people do.

It is, however, a real mutha when it comes to advancing technology! Look at WW2. Started with biplanes, ended with jets. In six years!!