Why NASA Is Vital for Our Survival

[Saturate]

Can't embed it, watch it here! ;-)

[Darrknox]

With more commercial companies (which indeed are there due to Nasa). Nasa really isn't 'vital' for our survival anymore. But I do agree that the program being governmental was a helpful push for a lot of kids and adults during 70's-90's. Yet, this is a bit of a dream like mentality for what was actually going on (as a motivator versus how American schools were/are actually run). Nasa might have been a great symbol, but it really stopped where it started in a lot of ways. Kids will look at these commercial programs just the same and say; I want to work at SpaceX, etc.etc.

That's just my view of it.

[Jack]

And then the kids watch the Apollo 13 movie.

:-[

[hpearson]

*wipes single man tear from eye

[Rickenbacker]

Robert Heinlein said it best. The dinosaurs died out because they didn't have a space program. And so will we, when a bit enough rock arrives, or Yellowstone erupts.

[Sordid]

http://xkcd.com/893/

[Darrknox]

http://xkcd.com/893/

'The universe is probably littered with the one-planet graves of cultures which made the sensible economic decision that there's no good reason to go into space--each discovered, studied, and remembered by the ones who made the irrational decision.'

Extremely awesome quote.

[CtrlAltEL1TE]

NASA is old news. CNSA is the future.

[Capt'n Skunky]

The reason NASA has turned to shit recently, aside from funding issues, is that it's being run by bean counters unlike the early days when it was run by scientists.

[Sordid]

I think even the bean counters could be appeased by simply throwing more money at them, they're simply a sympton of the fact that, as Tyson says, incredibly little is being spent on NASA and all the awesome things it does. When you don't have much money, you tend to be really careful with what little you have. What really makes my blood boil is all the budget cuts. Surely there are other areas where money could be saved, such as defense. Yes, it's important, but the USA spends as much on its military as the rest of the world put together, I shit you not. You could double NASA's budget and it wouldn't even make a dent in military spending.

[RangerDanger75]

Yes, it's important, but the USA spends as much on its military as the rest of the world put together, I shit you not. You could double NASA's budget and it wouldn't even make a dent in military spending.

The fact that the USA spends more money on air conditioning tents than funding NASA has always been a sore spot for me.

[greatorder]

I'm afraid it's money (oh no! we can't do that! there would be no economic advantage setting up a moon base!)

money truly does make the world go round.

I bet though, that if we make a moonbase, there will be thousands of conspiracy theories that they are in fact making a base to control the minds of all people on the earth :

[Mistercheif]

I bet though, that if we make a moonbase, there will be thousands of conspiracy theories that they are in fact making a base to control the minds of all people on the earth :

And it would be worth it just to for that effect alone! ;D

Let alone the ability to move up parts and use the moon to assemble and launch larger spacecraft that would not be feasible for launch from earth.

[chrislo27]

Sorry if off-topic but bean counters remind me of Cave Johnson (Portal 2).

And Cave Johnson reminds me about combustible lemons.

Strange.