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Originally Posted by soot
For the third time, I'm not going to argue with you.
Besides, arguing would imply that you're bringing something substantive to the table and you're not. You're only bringing ignorance and asking to be educated.
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So by asking you to substantiate why you think something is the case, I am being ignorant? Should I argue for everyone on the forum, too?
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See, now we're getting somewhere.
Bear in mind that the space program is a publicly funded research and development program, not a transportation program. Reaching the Moon is only part of the goal. Developing the technology to enable an attempt to reach the Moon is equally important and by federal law the technology developed in the process is to be shared with private industry for the betterment of the American standard of living. Investigating space presents challenges and those challenges are met by very bright people working together in such a way that only government could organize them
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So only the government can organize very bright people together?
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and at such expense that only government could afford to foot the bill.
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Then maybe the government needs to stop taxing private business to death.
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So lets say you gave me 4 tons of titanium and I told you that I wouldn't be able to repay you in titanium but I would provide you with the following:
-Cordless powertools
-Advanced water purification systems
-Home insulation
-CAT scans
-Laser angioplasty
-MRIs
-CCDs
-Artificial limbs
-Photovoltaic cells
-All-weather tires
-Satellite communications and television
-Microwave ovens
-Fiber optics
-Cell phones
-GPS navigation
-Smoke detectors
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Yeah, you'd provide me with those, for the cost of that titanium AND THE COST OF BUYING THOSE THINGS! It's not like I get free cell phones and GPS navigation systems from the government everyone once in a while.
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Is it worth it to you to live a longer, safer, more comfortable life?
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Why do you assume those could not have been discovered in a more efficient manner? Maybe if you didn't tax those "very bright minds" and then give then back some of their money in exchange for work, they could be doing the same or better in a private firm. Are you saying that the most efficient way to discover smoke detectors and microwave ovens is to send a man to the moon while you're at it?
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You'd have none of those things if it weren't for the space program.
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Really? Do they require a special resource found only in space and on the moon?
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We had to start somewhere, and that somewhere was going to the Moon.
And all that says nothing about the discoveries that science has made about our World and our Universe.
Maybe that stuff doesn't matter to you. You may not care that we're able to measure the size, mass, rotational velocity, or chemical composition of stars that are 14 million lightyears away. You may not care that we're able to send probes to other planets. And you may not care about supernovae, or quasars, or or black dwarf stars.
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It's would be an interesting read, but hardly worth what was spend on the space program.
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Me, on the other hand, I love knowing what's out there. To me that makes it all worth while and worth every penny.
But as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. The same is true for an eventual journey of billions of trillions of miles through the Cosmos.
And with that, it's been nice having this conversation with you.
If you still don't think our space program is "worth it" then I'm not going to change your mind.
I'll just enjoy the fact that it exists and that there's not a damn thing you can do about that.
Have a great night.
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