We've had discussions about Space Exploration in general before, and I would post this in one of those, but those are all buried under layers of topic-sediment.
For those who care, do you think the cancellation of the Space Shuttle program is a good thing? Bad thing? Should Constellation have been canceled, should STS have been canceled, but not without a replacement?
I think it is a bad thing that the space shuttle program was shut down for two main reasons.
1) I understand the perspective of people who say "We're nowhere near to colonizing space." but we have to start somewhere and the longer we put it off the longer it will be until we get there. And if you don't think we'll eventually need to explore space well... our resources will only be adequate for our exploding population for so long. Unless we start eating the poor we'll need other solutions.
2) The space program has produced many products that we don't typically associate with space anymore. Memory Foam (the stuff I sleep on at night) was developed by NASA. A process developed by NASA led to scratch resistant lenses (I wear glasses so thanks for that NASA). Not to mention Satellite Technology which has been adapted for television and telecommunications. If NASA played a role in all of these things surely NASA would (if given the funding) continue to produce many more innovations which could change our daily lives.
I think it is a bad thing that the space shuttle program was shut down for two main reasons.
1) I understand the perspective of people who say "We're nowhere near to colonizing space." but we have to start somewhere and the longer we put it off the longer it will be until we get there. And if you don't think we'll eventually need to explore space well... our resources will only be adequate for our exploding population for so long. Unless we start eating the poor we'll need other solutions.
2) The space program has produced many products that we don't typically associate with space anymore. Memory Foam (the stuff I sleep on at night) was developed by NASA. A process developed by NASA led to scratch resistant lenses (I wear glasses so thanks for that NASA). Not to mention Satellite Technology which has been adapted for television and telecommunications. If NASA played a role in all of these things surely NASA would (if given the funding) continue to produce many more innovations which change our daily lives.
All good points.
Personally, I believe that it's a good thing, but not without a replacement. The Space Shuttle was designed to be a quick and cheap method to launch cargo into space. And it's good for certain applications, such as Hubble. But for something such as the Galileo spacecraft, which was launched on the Space Shuttle after NASA implemented its Space Shuttle only launch policy, it would've been cheaper, quicker, and safer to launch it independently.
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For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -Carl Sagan
The Universe is cool enough without making up crap about it - Phil Plait
For those who care, do you think the cancellation of the Space Shuttle program is a good thing? Bad thing? Should Constellation have been canceled, should STS have been canceled, but not without a replacement?
The Universe is cool enough without making up crap about it - Phil Plait
What on Earth is this supposed to mean?
The Universe is cool enough without making up crap about it - Phil Plait
1) I understand the perspective of people who say "We're nowhere near to colonizing space." but we have to start somewhere and the longer we put it off the longer it will be until we get there. And if you don't think we'll eventually need to explore space well... our resources will only be adequate for our exploding population for so long. Unless we start eating the poor we'll need other solutions.
2) The space program has produced many products that we don't typically associate with space anymore. Memory Foam (the stuff I sleep on at night) was developed by NASA. A process developed by NASA led to scratch resistant lenses (I wear glasses so thanks for that NASA). Not to mention Satellite Technology which has been adapted for television and telecommunications. If NASA played a role in all of these things surely NASA would (if given the funding) continue to produce many more innovations which could change our daily lives.
All good points.
Personally, I believe that it's a good thing, but not without a replacement. The Space Shuttle was designed to be a quick and cheap method to launch cargo into space. And it's good for certain applications, such as Hubble. But for something such as the Galileo spacecraft, which was launched on the Space Shuttle after NASA implemented its Space Shuttle only launch policy, it would've been cheaper, quicker, and safer to launch it independently.
The Universe is cool enough without making up crap about it - Phil Plait