Wondering About Outer Space...

[Vet-To-Pet]

:whackasmilie:Can anyone explain why "they" continue to spend billions of $$ on "The Space Program" when we're in such deep doo-doo on THIS planet that the money could be much better spent on taking care of things such as poverty, disease, homelessness, crime, the fucked up economy, did I mention poverty?, and so on...? I'm not that excited about what's on Mars, or whether Pluto is or isn't a planet (altho I think it should be, since it seems very unfair to demote it...and what about all of those saints the Catholic church just "decided" weren't saints anymore, like Saint Christopher---does that mean everyone has to throw out their St Christopher medals hanging in their cars? But I digress....). Anyway, think of ALL that money (AND fuel!!) being wasted on something so frivolous when it's really not helping anyone except those folks employed by NASA. Anyone...?
Paula/Vet-To-Pet

[MsTerry]

Yeah, it is done for global domination.
Oh, and it is good for scientist to come up with new theories.
Why shouldn't we pay for science when we are going to bail out all the mortgage companies?

:whackasmilie:Can anyone explain why "they" continue to spend billions of $$ on "The Space Program" when we're in such deep doo-doo on THIS planet that the money could be much better spent on taking care of things such as poverty, disease, homelessness, crime, the fucked up economy, did I mention poverty?, and so on...? I'm not that excited about what's on Mars, or whether Pluto is or isn't a planet (altho I think it should be, since it seems very unfair to demote it...and what about all of those saints the Catholic church just "decided" weren't saints anymore, like Saint Christopher---does that mean everyone has to throw out their St Christopher medals hanging in their cars? But I digress....). Anyway, think of ALL that money (AND fuel!!) being wasted on something so frivolous when it's really not helping anyone except those folks employed by NASA. Anyone...?
Paula/Vet-To-Pet

[Tars]

Why explore over that hill there, when we have perfectly good caves to huddle in right here?

[Lenny]

Well, as Luddites my ability to reason with this viewpoint is limited, however the very machines you are enjoying at this moment were made "better" do to space exploration, as well as medical advances and materials. One may always wonder "why are scientists studying X?" but the answers derived from that study often help in another discipline in the sciences.
As for the money spent, or not spent, well that's politics. I doubt if giving that money directly to the poor would have helped them. I suppose we could have expanded the welfare state and employ those people from those areas, thus addressing that immediate poverty. My take is that the War on Poverty was as successful as the War on Drugs. Go ask Jeff about that success rate.
And the whole issue may improve as I believe space exploration will be turned over to private enterprise for a few years, so anyone may try.