Science, Space Travel, Cures

[Trippoli]

This just came to mind.

If all nations were to drop their weapons, strengthen the UN, and put all of its spending into Science and the needs of our population.

> Find the cure for Cancer and other diseases faster.
> Explore the rest of the World's oceans.
> Faster and cheaper ways for Space Exploration.
> Planet/Satellite colonization.
> Finding life on other planets.
> Discovering new technologies for better communication, trade, and Entertainment.


Imagine what the Human race could discover if all the money they put into wars, their military, and useless programs. Imagine what we could discover by the end of the 21st century.

Just a Thought.

[Dolbri]

Indeed. That is one of the reasons why war is not good.

Though I'd scrap the "Planet/Satellite colonization" part. It would be more expensive than the world's current defense budget.

[Ayumutopia]

But if we don't have our fancy weapons how are we gonna protect ourselves when the Martians invade?

[Trippoli]

True, but I'm just saying.

I know that this would never happen in my lifetime because the way we spend our money. If we could spend it on things like this, it would be possible to atleast to put men on Mars before I reach 60...

[Trippoli]

But if we don't have our fancy weapons how are we gonna protect ourselves when the Martians invade?

When I mean life on other planets I do not mean intelligent life.

[Ayumutopia]

But if we don't have our fancy weapons how are we gonna protect ourselves when the Martians invade?

When I mean life on other planets I do not mean intelligent life.

If you want them to be intelligent or not don't have much impact on if they are or ain't. Unless your gonna use all that sciency money andmake a "stupid" gas with you can fire on the planets to make intelligent life unintelligent.

[Trippoli]

Wouldn't you like to know if there was some form of life out there? The thought that we are alone depresses me. Alone, on a floating planet, in a dark room(Universe).

[Dolbri]

Wouldn't you like to know if there was some form of life out there? The thought that we are alone depresses me. Alone, on a floating planet, in a dark room(Universe).

We're not alone. There are some 100 billion stars in our galaxy, and 100 billion galaxies in the universe. There's no way we are alone.

If we were, I think the most depressing thing would be that we are currently destroying the most interesting planet in the entire universe.

[Trippoli]

That is why I am fascinated in the colonization of other planets. Our population is growing in fast rates. We are also pushing the rest of the Animal Kingdom to extinction. Keeping this planet beautiful and green, and also living on other planets is a dream that I wish someday comes true.

[Ayumutopia]

Wouldn't you like to know if there was some form of life out there? The thought that we are alone depresses me. Alone, on a floating planet, in a dark room(Universe).

There's nearly seven billion people on this tiny floating planet. We sure ain't lonely, whether there's little green folk hangin' around in another solar system or whatever.

[Trippoli]

I mean the Human race alone. I'm not talking about population. I am asking, Who else are we sharing this universe with? It's a question that has floated in my head for years, and remains unanswered.

[Dolbri]

I mean the Human race alone. I'm not talking about population. I am asking, Who else are we sharing this universe with? It's a question that has floated in my head for years, and remains unanswered.

Do you know the SETI screensaver? I figure you might like it.

[Trippoli]

I don't think I have. Where can I find it?

[Trippoli]

Actually, I have heard of it. I just never bothered to visit it. I have now, I enjoy the site.

[Dolbri]

I don't think I have. Where can I find it?

The screensaver, aka SETI@home:
setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/

More general info:
Wikipedia article on SETI: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI
SETI's website: http://www.seti.org/

[The Romulan Republic]

Indeed. That is one of the reasons why war is not good.

Though perhaps nessissary, on rare occasions. Like any use of violence, though, it should be a last resort to defend yourself and/or others only.

Though I'd scrap the "Planet/Satellite colonization" part. It would be more expensive than the world's current defense budget.

Don't be so sure. People tend to grossly overestimate how much space programs cost, to the point where the cliche of the space program as a black hole that sucks in massive amounts of cash that could be better spent elsewhere is really just a sad urban legend. I'd have to check to be sure, but I think currently NASA gets less than one percent of the budget in the US.

You could send people to Mars for between a few billion and 50 or so billion dollars (as of the '90s, sources The Case for Mars and Entering Space by Robert Zubrin). Even presuming (as tends to happen) that the program goes overbudget, its still competetive with the cost of the somewhat useless International Space Station, built under the current pathetic budget. Since the plan outlined in the aforementioned books relies heavily on producing resources on site from the Martian soil and air, that cuts the cost of colonization nicely. Now, granted you'd have to send quite a few missions to establish a proper colony, but if you spread the cost out over many years its not so bad.

Then there's the possibility of making the program pay for itself, through space tourism, asteroid mining (asteroids worth tens of trillions in valuable metals or minerals), and through products that can be manufactured better in zero gravity, among some of the possibilities.

In the end, though, it doesn't matter. One planet has a finite amount of resources that are nessissary for industrial civilization, and a species limited to one world is vulnerable to disasters ranging from asteroid impacts to pandemics to nuclear wars. Or to phrase it another way, you can't put a monetary value on species survival.

Regardless, though, this topic makes me smile. My first chance to defend the space program on the new forum.

[The Romulan Republic]

That is why I am fascinated in the colonization of other planets. Our population is growing in fast rates. We are also pushing the rest of the Animal Kingdom to extinction. Keeping this planet beautiful and green, and also living on other planets is a dream that I wish someday comes true.

To counterbalance my pro-space speech in my last post, I must point out that reducing overpopulation is the last reason to colonize other worlds (well, one of the weaker ones, anyway), simply because we are never in the forseeable future going to be able to move people off world fast enough to achieve zero population growth. Now, if you specify bringing resources back to Earth to help with resource shortages resulting from overpopulation, you have a better argument.

[Ayumutopia]

I don't see why we just don't build a giant escalator into space.

[Trippoli]

You wish it was that Easy lol..

[The Romulan Republic]

I don't see why we just don't build a giant escalator into space.

Well, there is the space elevator concept, but that's a way away if it ever happens, and getting them there is only part of the problem. You need to also develope infrastructure, build habitats, access resources, provide life support, etc. Of course, we could just send them up and toss them out the air lock. I suppose that would help with over population if we did it fast enough.

Seriously, though, how hard is it to just teach birth control and conserve resources? Like I said, we need space travel, but short term at least we must fine a better way to deal with overpopulation.

[Ayumutopia]

You wish it was that Easy lol..

I don't see why we just don't build a giant escalator into space.

Well, there is the space elevator concept, but that's a way away if it ever happens, and getting them there is only part of the problem. You need to also develope infrastructure, build habitats, access resources, provide life support, etc. Of course, we could just send them up and toss them out the air lock. I suppose that would help with over population if we did it fast enough.

Seriously, though, how hard is it to just teach birth control and conserve resources? Like I said, we need space travel, but short term at least we must fine a better way to deal with overpopulation.

But a song told me that we can breathe in space but that they just don't want us to escape. Don't tell me music lied to me. Then even The Right Brothers become untrustworthy.

[Exilia and Colonies]

Indeed. That is one of the reasons why war is not good.

Though I'd scrap the "Planet/Satellite colonization" part. It would be more expensive than the world's current defense budget.

We've got to move out sometime, the Sun isn't going to play nice forever.

[Secruss]

Talk China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Venzuela, Cuba, and the various warlords of Africa down first, then we'll talk.



Peace sells.

[Dolbri]

We've got to move out sometime, the Sun isn't going to play nice forever.

I think we have more pressing concerns than that.

EDIT: or wait, were you joking? Srr, it's getting late.

[Ravea]

All that stuff would certainly be possible.

But people are stupid.

Really, really stupid.