If I could pick and choose where my tax dollars go, I'd happily check the NASA box if I could eliminate sending my money to several other goobermint programs.

...But enough politics- This Mars program fascinates me.

No? It’s part of the little slice of universe that we can see. Understanding that seems pretty valuable to me. Or we could go back to thinking the moon is made of cheese.

No. A ‘little slice of the universe that we can see’ is nothing even close to being what you originally said, pup.

You’re intentionally using a rhetorical trick to affirm a personal preference followed up with another rhetorical trick to denigrate an opposing preference.

Could you agree that spending $1B on Acute Flaccid Myelitis might be more relevant to humanity than listening to Martian breezes?

Whereas I find space travel fascinating we do have finite resources and wouldn't that money be better spent on exploring this planet that we still know so very little about? Not to mention medical research and clean energy.

<iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="270" src="https://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/x1szwpt" allowfullscreen allow="autoplay"></iframe>



Cutting to the chase

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T0qagA4_eVQ" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Or a 1000 gallon drum of Preparation H (one week supply)!

No. We have enough people on Earth already, and considering that NASA is currently less than 0.5% of the federal budget, we already spend substantially more money annually on health care and research. Like I said, I can’t comprehend people who don’t understand the value in exploring the world around us. Intentional ignorance.

They are not learning a ****ing thing except how to piss through other people's money. It's become nothing more than a white collar welfare program.
For 1/10th of what NASA spends, a private company could accomplish twice as much and it'd still be a waste of money.

And we can't help if if you don't possess the mental capacity to understand or comprehend.
Sorry.

Sorry you’ve got sand downstairs, this seems to have gotten you a little pissy. And we can’t help you if you don’t have the mental capacity to understand exactly what they are doing up there.:p

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me.



https://www.foxnews.com/science/sending-astronauts-to-mars-would-be-stupid-says-apollo-8-astronaut

Lighten up, sammy.

If we didn't do Apollo XIII what would Opie have called the movie, hmmm?

naw, easy to get to Mars<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vXB9823Qg9E" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

again in simple form:

If the gubamint cut all funding for NASA and started a GOFUNDME page instead, how much of your OWN money would you send so they could send stuff to Mars?
How much would you contribute to NASA every year to keep doing whatever it is they are doing?

Lots of the same people who claim we can't afford to spend $5 bil on border security are perfectly Ok with spending $20 bil every year for some really neat PIKTURES.

Never argue with an idiot, they’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience. Hey Sammy, you should protest by not using a single NASA developed technology. Let’s start with GPS, commercial airlines, and highways with safety grooves. And I’ll be super impressed if you skip the ventricular assist device and die based on your incredible convictions.:rolleyes:

Hehehe....always fun to read "what is science good for" discussions. On Internet. Via HTML/hyperlinks...developed as a side-project at CERN....the big multi-billion/year facility whose sole purpose is to smash particles into each other and look for debris.

On practical point I wish NASA would focus more on high speed air travel. An airliner that can get me from one end of the states to the other in an hour or two? Heck yeah!

Exploring Mars is cool but scientist will tell you it is just too dangerous/inhospitable to 'colonize". One scientist said any human going to Mars is not expected to come back alive... and yes, there are people willing to signup for that one way trip.

Scott, the ongoing QueSST is a NASA funded program to develop a “low boom” supersonic aircraft that can be flown supersonic over populated land masses. It’s a continuation of the legendary x-plane programs that pioneered supersonic and hypersonic aerospace vehicles. Like Sammy said, pretty pictures.:rolleyes:

The trouble with NASA and science missions, is they serve political winds and friends rather then true intellectual interests.

So I "get" why sammy is pissed about it, but at the same time if we had better political winds and politicians(Which are elected by the people); then NASA would be all good and golden.

A further problem with mar's missions; if Mar's is experiencing global warming, instead of blaming solar mechanics, they can blame human activity.

I do find it interesting how a set of humans that believe that humans are bad for the planet wish to see us explore and go to other planets.

Huh?

That's quite a statement. Exactly which Senator is gaining something by sending a probe to the sun? Which lobbyist is getting a kickback for that Mar's lander? Is the President's now defunct foundation financially tied to the new space telescope???

I mean, really, the NASA funded science missions are based on "political winds"??? NASA and the larger space science community is not about "true intellectual interests"???

Well, politicians from Florida and Texas certainly have an interest in keeping NASA healthy. Lobbyists for aerospace and tech contractors are very interested in getting their products on the mars lander or other projects, by definition.

But I’d much rather have NASA healthy than have the government examining ”feelings” and “why are people so mean” and sniffing mouse farts and doling out money to a zillion noisy fringe social interests.