Budget Cuts May Hinder Discovery of 1st Alien Earth - Polidicks

Hey, look on the bright side, we still have more money put into our space program than most other countries.

we could have like space guns now instead of tanks

[QUOTE=Killer900;40631245]I wonder what alien animals looks like.[/QUOTE] Evolution has given us remarkably similar appendages. I wonder if aliens have limbs beyond our imagination.

[QUOTE=TheCloak;40631445]Why do we have to have budget cuts?! Why can't our politicians understand that space and technology advancement is the most important thing we can invest money in?[/QUOTE] I argued this with my grandpa. I tried telling him why the curiosity project was important, he thought it was a waste of money instead of trying to feed people or something with that money. It's really hard to argue my case, but I told him there are major long-term benefits that the information we learn will be necessary for the future of humanity. You know I would rather have government money being spent on something enlightening then war and destruction.

[QUOTE=BenJammin';40635130]I argued this with my grandpa. I tried telling him why the curiosity project was important, he thought it was a waste of money instead of trying to feed people or something with that money. It's really hard to argue my case, but I told him there are major long-term benefits that the information we learn will be necessary for the future of humanity. You know I would rather have government money being spent on something enlightening then war and destruction.[/QUOTE] Did you tell him about them spending money on surplus tanks, despite being told the military has enough, and how we could use Mars for oil if there was life. Those might work.

Earth's flora and fauna is extremely diverse and alien if you look at it from outside the box.

To first grasp just how different an alien world might be you first have to understand how matter moves across the universe. As stars explode in different vast regions of space they spread out certain heavy elements. This im sure is common knowledge for all of you. So as matter from stars and other objects carrying debris collide with a newly forming planet they sort of bring a certain combination of matter thats specific to its point in the universe at that given time. Being as how we are in the milky way, its safe to say that any planet within our 1/8th of the corner of the galaxy will have similar features to the planets in our solar system. Why you ask? We can compare a star explosion to a simple water balloon exploding in space. Those water droplets go out in a sphere in all directions. Mathematically anything closest to that point of explosion will get the most wet. Now lets say that water is specific matter, and there is another star exploding spewing out matter as well. Planets that are close to these two stars will have realitively the same base matter to work with in terms of the building blocks of what ever kind of life is able to thrive off it... So theoretically alien planet types would probably be bunched together throughout the universe in terms of like driving between countries... sure maybe this next country over speaks a different language... but they are still human and have slightly different features. Obviously you kind of hopefully get what im getting at here. Im sure there is some fascinating stuff close by in terms of 100 light years and closer, but the truly amazing things are probably damn far away from us. That being said we need to still ramp up space exploration big time. I dont plan on living to see anything other then maybe a manned exploration to mars, but we need the building blocks now so we can travel beyond 100 light years in a human life span and be able to discover truly incredible things that no one can even fathom. Did that make any sense at all? Or am i going crazy again... NOTE: Two galaxies colliding could bring two very different forms of life closer together obviously. Not saying its impossible, just more probable that life close to us isnt that far away from what we see here on earth.

[QUOTE=Durrsly;40635181]Did you tell him about them spending money on surplus tanks, despite being told the military has enough, and how we could use Mars for oil if there was life. Those might work.[/QUOTE] I'm more excited about the oceans and rivers of hydrocarbon's on Titan than Mars to be honest.

Incorporate NASA into the military and give them an incentive to go into space and this will happen.

[QUOTE=prooboo;40635700]Incorporate NASA into the military and give them an incentive to go into space and this will happen.[/QUOTE] I say America just declares wars on other planets, that way NASA can get all the military cash they need.

I want to discover or invent something that is fucking incredible, and everyone in the world desperately wants it, and that it will make me the richest son of a bitch on the planet. Then I will sponsor NASA and get us back into space god damn it.

[QUOTE=DeEz;40632066]Because it yields no foreseeable short-term profits.[/QUOTE] Or long-term, either. The main benefit, technological development, is much more efficiently driven by shunting those billions upon billions of dollars into research subsidies and federal grants. I don't see why everyone seems so obsessed with justifying space exploration from a profitability standpoint. We didn't go to space because it was a good investment, we went because it's there and we need to understand the universe we inhabit. Trying to justify it as a way to advance technology is roundabout and missing the point. At the moment there are more pressing concerns than exploration. Going to the moon (again) won't put food on the table for anyone or stop a bank from foreclosing on a home. Once we're on our feet again we can go back to space exploration, and it'll still be there.

This is hilariously depressing.

[QUOTE=Persecution;40640726]I want to discover or invent something that is fucking incredible, and everyone in the world desperately wants it, and that it will make me the richest son of a bitch on the planet. Then I will sponsor NASA and get us back into space god damn it.[/QUOTE] Or just stuff your amazing invention into a rocket and yell "fetch!"