[rjbman]

Space is good, space is bad. Let's chat. Keep it civil.

Personally, I'm all for space exploration. It's a shame that the govt. has wrecked NASA's budget, but it's great that private companies are picking up the mantle and continuing to pursue it.

I know some people () like to say that we shouldn't look at space as an escape from the problems of earth, and I agree. But I don't think we should just stop space exploration because there are problems with civilization on earth.

[brlmski]

space is double posted

[odradek]

because you double space a new line

[vgtbls]

For all the people who talk about NASA spinoff technologies, how do you feel about the technological leaps from war? Does that make war good?

Here's a great poem:

[bels]

Isn't space travel mainly an offshoot of technological advancement for war anyway?

[thephfactor]

What are the motivations for space exploration? It began with Cold-War paranoia, as a part of an arms race. It has always been about world domination, universe domination, not saving or exploring the world or universe. Space exploration is also a way to exercise the crave our society feels to colonize. It ran out of room on earth, so for unlimited resources to exploit, both ideologically and materially, it turned to the sky. Why do you think the Moon was claimed with an American flag?

And why do people resent the call to "clean up our own house" on earth environmentally instead of pushing unbelievable amounts of money into efforts to colonize other planets? Do you think those manning or funding space explorations will care more about the environments of the planets they visit than those manning and funding operations on earth below?

Why did Ted Cruz want to cut NASA's earth science funding and focus completely on space exploration? What does that say about the political nature of space?

Also, re: spin-off technologies: I see nothing good about private corporations and entrepreneurs being "cut in" on publicly funded research for profit.

[ramseames]

The "NASA spending is a distraction from our real problems on earth argument" isn't compelling because the small portion of funding they get isn't what is holding back the solving of those issues (because it's all politics).

I don't know anything about the spinoff tech financing but I presume whoever they partner with gets to cover a large portion of the costs. The US government isn't/shouldn't be in the business of producing consumer products anyway, partnering with private companies is the only way that they'll see the light of day.

[Stolsdos]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_spin ... chnologies
Edit: wow complete coincidence

[Stolsdos]

Also NASA and space isn't just about exploring the solar systems. They do things like this: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/study-m ... stal-areas, this: http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-ma ... rra-trees/, this: http://www.nasa.gov/centers/marshall/ne ... -risk.html and hundreds of other projects like those. Just check out NASA's entire webpage for 'Earth.' NASA is also a huge contributor to physics, such as contributing to this project with the European Space Agency: https://www.elisascience.org/news/top-n ... pectations whose goal is to aid in the detection of gravitational waves.

The military defense spending can fuck off, but space is an integral part of human achievement and progress. I will say saving the poor and oppressed and reducing the effects of climate change are far more important, but that doesn't mean we can't do both at the same time. Plus we're on a fucking fashion forum, don't forget how crazily unethical this industry is in regards to labor practices. Space may contribute to overall climate change, but at least NASA has an entire department for fighting climate change as well.

[Yoder]

down with space worship

[nevergreen]

Perseid meteor shower peaked last night and continues through tonight. Supposed to be 200 meteors/hour. Anyone gonna try to catch it? I'm going to a local hiking trail with some blankets, pillows. Should be fun

[Northwest]

I think it's worth examining American Space Exploration as a continuation of the idea of Manifest Destiny and how other countries and our own space program have challenged and continue to challenge that narrative. In some ways, the International Space Station is a greater flintstone to me than the Olympics. There's the constant joking/complaining among college students regarding group projects and how frustrating it is to depend on others, and the International Space Station is that taken to the furthest extreme. For me, I find it much easier to compete with honor than to cooperate with honor. Competition is striving for the same goal and, usually, just needing to stay out of the other person's way. Cooperation can be striving for the same goal, but only after that goal is established through communication. Even then, the goal can change while being worked upon, and the process must start all over again.

As an aside, if I could recommend one book about space I think I would recommend The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. I find I've learned more from the imagined emotional realities and setting of space than I do from staring awe-struck at engineering feats I can barely hope to grasp the basics of.

If you could recommend me one book about space, what would it be?

[odradek]

[rjbman]

Sure yall know about Musk announcing plans to go to Mars. Think his timeline's a little unrealistic, but that's how he operates: insane timeline, misses it but still way earlier than normal peoples.

Anyways, . Space race is on and this time it's private sector.

[costanza]

Aim for the stars, settle for the sky

[rjbman]

holy crap SpaceX just reused a rocket successfully (and landed it, but that's the norm! at this point)