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Subject: 
Re: And now for something completely different...
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Sat, 1 Mar 2003 03:30:14 GMT
Viewed: 
354 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Leonard Hoffman writes:

Now on this we completely agree--this very discussion has caused much
consternation between myself and my SO--I say we're not in space enuf, she
wants to see us take care of *everything* here before we even think about
getting into space.


well, look at it from a resources point of view.  a colony in space or on
another planet would cost trillions, and yet people are starving to death here
on earth.  What can a space colony do that would make such an expediture
worthwhile?

"Well look at it from another point of view. We still have messes to clean
up from ejecting the Moors. What can an expedition to China do that would
make such an expenditure worthwhile? Let Columbus help solve the problems
here in Spain first" - Ferdinand (or was it Isabella)

That was the wrong viewpoint. 100 years later it was clear that funding
exploration was the right thing to do.

"A canal in Sault Ste. Marie? I'd rather see a canal built on the moon
first" - Henry Clay (paraphrased... http://www.baylisslib.org/chipcanal.html )

That was the wrong viewpoint. 50 years later millions of tons of ore a year
went through that very canal and you, if you live in the US, have steel made
from some of that Minnestota ore in your house, for sure.

But more fundamentally, the very idea of spending money to "solve" social
problems instead of investing it is why you have social problems in the
first place. Do you eat your seed corn too?

Please provide a cite for why a colony (which is not what I'm talking about,
I don't want some ISS writ large... I'm talking about an industrial
infrastructure that supports itself) would necessarily cost trillions, or
even cost more than it would return.



Message has 3 Replies:
  Re: And now for something completely different...
 
(...) Well, you know the space program hasn't gained us anything useful at all... :-) :-) :-) (1) Of course all sorts of good stuff has come from the space program. While we can pick bones with how it was financed, there is no doubt whatsoever that (...) (22 years ago, 1-Mar-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
  Re: And now for something completely different...
 
(...) I don't care if it does -- I want my piece of the pork to go to space! What can a space colony do that would make such an expenditure worthwhile? In order of importance: 1) It would be the coolest thing humanity has ever done! 2) It would get (...) (22 years ago, 1-Mar-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)
  Re: And now for something completely different...
 
(...) Umm.. Excuse me? You mean Columbus who kidnapped a native child to bring back as a trophy to his queen? You mean the discovery that launch the largest genocide in the history of humanity? The destruction of so many cultures and people that we (...) (22 years ago, 4-Mar-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: And now for something completely different...
 
(...) well, look at it from a resources point of view. a colony in space or on another planet would cost trillions, and yet people are starving to death here on earth. What can a space colony do that would make such an expediture worthwhile? I'm (...) (22 years ago, 1-Mar-03, to lugnet.off-topic.debate)

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