Expedition to Mars: Benefit of science v. cost in dollars

[RLB]

I just wanna know if this guy is really there!!

[Kevin]

Money talk aside... There are some things worth doing even if they don't make more money than they cost.

[texasdeerhunter]

Drop in the bucket.
I’d like to see us make big leaps in space exploration in my lifetime.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I agree with this. We spent $2.2 Trillion and counting on an “economic bailout” because of a faux virus pandemic. At least with the money spent on space exploration we might actually learn something.

[RattlesnakeDan]

They will learn nothing useful, just like the moon. If there were value in going back to the moon everyone would be racing to get there, same as Mars. God created it, there is nothing there for us to use except dust and dirt.
So why go? It is about greed and power, it is about air space, satellites and ruling the heavens with their new technology.

[TX_Hoghunter]

Folks while I hope it is a long way out in the future we do all realize that at some point this rock we live on will no longer support life....right? The sun will burn out, a giant asteroid will hit us, something will happen. At some point we have to have the technology to leave this place if the human race is going to continue. Well this is how we figure things out so that we can do that in the future. Based on that alone I would say it is worth it.

-john

[Neck]

Or we could sit back and do nothing, maybe watch some Netflix and play on the facebook, while all those dollars are being spent regardless, and marvel at other countries like China/Russia/Japan as they perfect space travel and leap frog us in technological advances. Don't forget the military defense aspect of being the big dog in space either.

[Hoggslayer]

It's the technology that gets us there that will give us the biggest return on investment in the near future. Look no further than the cell phone in your pocket that wouldn't be there today had it not been for the technology developed back in the 70's and 80's.

[Briar Friar]

Sprinkle some star dust on me...Im game.

#martianlivesmatter

[mikemorvan]

Or we could sit back and do nothing, maybe watch some Netflix and play on the facebook, while all those dollars are being spent regardless, and marvel at other countries like China/Russia/Japan as they perfect space travel and leap frog us in technological advances. Don't forget the military defense aspect of being the big dog in space either.

Good points. I wonder if they have Ozark on Mars.

Seriously though, if we're going to Mars, and back, multiple times, just to prove that it can be done. Then okay, i guess. If we're looking for the next game changing element, awesome. But, can't they just say that? Which, i'm sure for security reasons, they can't. I guess i just got hung up on the idea of looking for signs of life that may have existed 30 million, or whatever, years ago.

I'm becoming more enlightened.

[steven]

If we found existence that life does (or once) existed on the very first planet we step foot on other than Earth, that would mean statistically the universe is most likely teeming with life, and help shed some light on the question of how prevalent it actually is, or is likely to be.

[JTRichardson]

Good points. I wonder if they have Ozark on Mars.

Seriously though, if we're going to Mars, and back, multiple times, just to prove that it can be done. Then okay, i guess. If we're looking for the next game changing element, awesome. But, can't they just say that? Which, i'm sure for security reasons, they can't. I guess i just got hung up on the idea of looking for signs of life that may have existed 30 million, or whatever, years ago.

I'm becoming more enlightened.

Elon Musk & The SpaceX team has been pretty open in the past that establishing travel "efficiently" to Mars is their goal. I think one of their brand mottos is "Occupy Mars" -- in hopes of being able to establish human colonies in the future there if possible.

I think John had it pretty much nailed as what he said is almost exactly what the mission statement of the SpaceX company is

[Texastaxi]

I didn't watch the video, but I recall reading that Mars is a one way trip.

Who in their right mind would take that trip?