Space the final frontier

I am sick of hearing the ignorant people say that the space program should end! They don't realize the value learned from the experiments in space and how they incorporate into their every day lives. People get killed in space accidents. I have a much better chance of getting killed on the highway I have to drive on everyday than an astronaut does getting killed. More people die on the highways in one state every day than we lost in the astronauts.
Of course this goes with the stupidity after Sept. 11, that people are afraid to fly. Again the highways are much more dangerous. People only worry about it when it becomes a national news item and they don't think about everyday life.

One thing people need to understand is that the universe is a BIG place with dangers we have never even thought of yet. ALL of humanity's eggs are in one basket here on earth. Even something as minor as a medium sized comet, compared to things like rogue black holes and super novas, could end all of human life on this planet. And that is not even considering the things that could be initiated by some idea in a military mind somewhere right at home.

I think in a lot of people's cases, it's not a fear of flying, it's a fear of what may happen before getting on the plane. There is no way I am going to go through being jailed if I voice discontent with some gaurd feeling up my sister. I would rather take my chances on the road.

I do agree, though, about the space program. I have always thought we should put more money into it. But then, I think we should make use of cloning techniques and start focusing on colonizing other heavenly bodies. Alas, the world is too much driven by money, so more than likely, these things will never happen.

I'm not opposed to the space shuttle missions and the experiments that are performed on them. What I do not understand are those multi million dollar missions to examine the outer planets and their moons. Unless I am missing something I can't think of a single thing that we could benefit from. Everybody knows that these planets are inhospitable. what difference could it possible make if we find out the atmosphere of venus is 2% less co2 than we originally thought. (used as an example only, I'm not saying this really happened) or that there really is water under the suface of Europa.

All the money spent on travel to the moon, what did we find out, what part of the Surface of the moon was like. Big freakin deal. what good does it do us. I don't know about you but it doesn't make me sleep any better at night knowing the percentage of iron in moon dust.

I take that back. The ONLY possible benefit I can see is that it may interest some kids in science and push them on to bigger and better things but I think Hollywood can do that better without help from the taxpayers

Steve Schindler

Space exploration, the minimal amount we have accomplished to date, has been an effort that was successful because of it's funding and it's resources and I personally feel that it should be allowed to continue in the manner is has been, or similarly anyway.

If you look at other ages of exploration and advancement throughout history, you can see a clear relationship between the cost in money and physical resources and the cost in human lives. Early aviation had no federally funded program and you can find estimates on the number of people who died launching coal scuttles covered in feathers off hills... The number seems enormous compared to those who have died with the advent of space research... or compare the early European explorers... hundreds and thousands of ships and people going out who never returned... The funding and the safety equipment saves lives, there's no two ways about it (Ignoring the frozen Russian dogs floating around in tin cans.

It's certainly regrettable when any individual involved in the space program dies of course... they really are selected as being the brightest and the best (of those who didn't become involved in the private sector) and the loss to the families and the public manner of it's occurrence are both enormously unfortunate... but there will always remain some element of risk no matter how much funding is put into place, a risk they accept freely when they choose to become one of the very few to have ever done what they have...

Maybe I'm just a bit too much of a Star Trek fan but I see any limiting modification or cancellation of the space program as being far more likely to depress the population than to satisfy anyone... The thought of America halting in their course would be a staggering blow... and maybe I'm just a bit too Irish, raised on stories of heroes long passed but... I also see something noble in people willingly, even eagerly risking (and sometimes losing) their lives for something they see as being more valuable than any single individual, accomplishments that contribute to something greater than themselves... Maybe the common conception of being an Astronaut has changed but... these people were heroes when I was a kid and I'm not capable of just turning off that admiration because they went as heroes often do.

Discussions about additional funding or a realigning of funding would probably prove worthwhile... As I said, the more money and resources spent, the fewer the lives lost... But these discussions about halting the program altogether or never sending another human being into space and relying solely on remote controlled devices or robotics make me more depressed than the recent loss of lives, those are the arguments of a beaten cause unwilling to fight onward.