Meh, I'm in the "just STFU, MS" group on this one.

(08-06-2012, 08:06 PM)username Wrote: Meh, I'm in the "just STFU, MS" group on this one.

Actually, I read your post above after I posted mine.

It was a pretty kick-ass post, the last line especially.

(08-06-2012, 08:06 PM)username Wrote: Meh, I'm in the "just STFU, MS" group on this one.

I'm gonna sick ShitStorm on you.

Hot girl on girl action.

Plus, she'll shove that buttplug so far up your ass you'll wish YOU were on that mission to Mars.

(08-06-2012, 07:15 PM)Midwest Spy Wrote:

(08-06-2012, 07:04 PM)Donovan Wrote: STFU, MS.

Ah... the comeback of a frustrated man who uses a buttplug.

lol stfu ms.

Update: MSL Curiosity Mars landing -

Fucking FAKE.

I am disappoint.

Seems I'm not the only wishing we were doing something differently with NASA's budget:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/07/us/mars-un...hpt=us_bn4

(08-15-2012, 09:33 AM)Midwest Spy Wrote: Seems I'm not the only wishing we were doing something differently with NASA's budget:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/07/us/mars-un...hpt=us_bn4

Yep, definitely some who feel that exploring other planets isn't a good use of funds and resources because the expected results/discoveries are largely "undetermined" in advance. For some of us, that's precisely why the exploration is worthwhile.

I liked this quote from your article:
"It's human nature to explore," says Bell. "By going to difficult or dangerous places, we carry the rest of our species along with us. These stories become part of part of our culture, part of our heritage, part of our shared need to explore the worlds around us. it's a human endeavor that is part science, part inspiration."

Manned missions to Mars are planned within the next 20 years. Nasa's budget is again cut by 60 million for next year and NASA is exploring cheaper alternatives for unmanned missions. Again, I understand your position and that of those who question the value, but I'm relieved that NASA is still operating and exploring, though on a much down-scaled level than in its heyday. When we stop exploration and discovery, we stagnate, imo.

From the article:
"Humans are going to live on Mars in the president's expected lifetime," says commercial space consultant Charles Miller, a former NASA executive. "It will happen as a partnership between U.S. entrepreneurs and private industry and NASA."

Will humans really live on Mars in the next 40 years or so? I don't know. Interesting possibility though...

Cost of the Olympics: 17 billion to explore whether the Spice Girls can still shake it onstage.

(08-15-2012, 10:40 AM)Donovan Wrote: Cost of the Olympics: 17 billion to explore whether the Spice Girls can still shake it onstage.

They all looked pretty good, IMO.

I read that the $2.6B price tag for the Martian rover was just 17% of NASA's anual budget. Can that be right?

We spend nearly $13B on NASA every year? I'm not a huge fan of that. I understand where you are coming from in 'our need to keep exploring', but the practical side of me says it's not money well spent.

Even a manned mission to Mars, which would be an unbelievable achievement for mankind, still, most likely, won't produce anything of value for the 7 Billion human inhabitants of Earth.

Now, if we're using our annual budget to develop a space vehicle that could travel near the speed of light, allowing for real space exploration/travel, that would be worth talking about.

We already know that the planets/moons in our solar system won't support human life, so exploring them in more detail, IMO, is pointless.

Would it be neat to know if life ever existed on one of those orbs? Sure. Is it worth a ton of money to know? I personally don't think so.

Interesting topic. One I haven't really put much thought into prior to this.

The pursuit of knowledge is never unjustified.And you can't possibly know what benefits will begained from this. Consider: Orville and Wilbur Wright's first manned flight lasted a couple minutes, was the result of years of experimenting, and was about a hundred years ago. You think either of them thought their work would lead us to Mars? Because essentially that's exactly what has happened.

(08-15-2012, 11:28 AM)Donovan Wrote: The pursuit of knowledge is never unjustified.And you can't possibly know what benefits will begained from this. Consider: Orville and Wilbur Wright's first manned flight lasted a couple minutes, was the result of years of experimenting, and was about a hundred years ago. You think either of them thought their work would lead us to Mars? Because essentially that's exactly what has happened.

All flight is intertwined, so I'd probably give Robert Goddard credit for space exploration... he was the father of rocketry.

He was truly a visionary when it came to rockets.

(08-15-2012, 11:52 AM)Jimbone Wrote:

(08-15-2012, 11:28 AM)Donovan Wrote: The pursuit of knowledge is never unjustified.And you can't possibly know what benefits will begained from this. Consider: Orville and Wilbur Wright's first manned flight lasted a couple minutes, was the result of years of experimenting, and was about a hundred years ago. You think either of them thought their work would lead us to Mars? Because essentially that's exactly what has happened.

All flight is intertwined, so I'd probably give Robert Goddard credit for space exploration... he was the father of rocketry.

He was truly a visionary when it came to rockets.

I wonder if he hid the mathematical equation that would allow our astronauts to make the jump to light speed. That would be cool.

Obviously there was a hell of a lot more involved than spare bicycle parts, but the point is that before man could even conceive of rockets those two had to prove we could even get off the ground. And using MS' reasoning, we should never have bothered if they couldn't immediately fashion a Concord. There was no discernable benefit for the work they did, hell the plane wasn't even up long enough to get a bag of peanuts. But it wasn't what they did that was so important as what it meant. We are a race of toolmakers. This latest venture proves we haven't yet reached our upper limit of potential. And that value cannot be measured in dollars. Can you imagine how fucking tedious this planet would be if we as a collective people didn't constantly try to do impossible shit just to see if we could?
That right there is your Biblical tree of Knowledge that so badly rattled our Gods way back when.
"Now they are like unto us." Fuckin aye right.

(08-15-2012, 12:07 PM)Donovan Wrote: Obviously there was a hell of a lot more involved than spare bicycle parts, but the point is that before man could even conceive of rockets those two had to prove we could even get off the ground. And using MS' reasoning, we should never have bothered if they couldn't immediately fashion a Concord. There was no discernable benefit for the work they did, hell the plane wasn't even up long enough to get a bag of peanuts. But it wasn't what they did that was so important as what it meant. We are a race of toolmakers. This latest venture proves we haven't yet reached our upper limit of potential. And that value cannot be measured in dollars. Can you imagine how fucking tedious this planet would be if we as a collective people didn't constantly try to do impossible shit just to see if we could?
That right there is your Biblical tree of Knowledge that so badly rattled our Gods way back when.
"Now they are like unto us." Fuckin aye right.

Make your points, but quit using my statements in the way you want.

Did I say stop exploring? Nope.

Did I say sending another rover to Mars was a waste of money? Yes.

Did I say 'no' to Jim's idea of deep sea exploration? No.

Did I say it would be cool to send people to Mars, or invent a way to make space travel faster? Yes.

STFU.

Stfu is what people say who have no valid response, right MS? What you said was Edison should only have invented electric light if he could immediately equip Las Vegas and Times Square, Henry Ford should have just said "screw it" if he couldn't invent a Mazeradi, and Alexander Bell sucked ass because he didn't include 4G in his phone.

When I say we haven't reached our upper limit, MS don't get excited. I meant everyone but you. I'm pretty sure you ain't getting any smarter.

(08-15-2012, 11:57 AM)Midwest Spy Wrote:

(08-15-2012, 11:52 AM)Jimbone Wrote: All flight is intertwined, so I'd probably give Robert Goddard credit for space exploration... he was the father of rocketry.

He was truly a visionary when it came to rockets.

I wonder if he hid the mathematical equation that would allow our astronauts to make the jump to light speed. That would be cool.

MS, while not an equation allowing astronauts to jump to the speed of light, Goddard did indeed develop the equation for "escape velocity" (the speed required to break away from earth's gravitational pull) - one of many of his ideas and theories which were initially ridiculed by the press and rejected by the US government as "science-fiction".

Good thing Charles Lindberg recognized Goddard's value ahead of the Dept of Defense and NASA (both agencies, after his death, heralded and acknowledged his genius and contributions as the "Father of Modern Rocketry" and early pioneer of space travel). Lindberg convinced a private donor to grant Goddard $50k to conduct his experiments in Roswell, where his theories were implemented and proven successful.

I worked in Aeropsace engineering for 6 years. Goddard is a hero in the industry.

"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow."
- Robert Hutchings Goddard (1882-1945)

He's right - My Bell phone doesn't have 4G. Fucking POS.

(08-15-2012, 12:40 PM)Donovan Wrote: Stfu is what people say who have no valid response, right MS?

When I say we haven't reached our upper limit, MS don't get excited. I meant everyone but you. I'm pretty sure you ain't getting any smarter.

Oh, I know I'm getting more stupid as the days pass.

I just enjoy how your entire argument is telling me about things in the past, and how I'm saying we should just stop any sort of exploration/experimentation from this point forward.

You, sir, are brilliant, and clearly getting smarter by the day.

I know I'm getting smarter by the day. But I started as a egotistical deist poisoned by faith so there was room to improve.

(08-15-2012, 11:57 AM)Midwest Spy Wrote: I wonder if he hid the mathematical equation that would allow our astronauts to make the jump to light speed. That would be cool.

That would be cool. Sounds like an interesting Hollywood movie perhaps... "National Treasure 3: Light Speed"