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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 11:59 am
(August 29, 2022 at 11:55 am)Mister Agenda Wrote: (August 28, 2022 at 7:11 am)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: I see that Artemis 1 is due to launch tomorrow. The cost of this flight, and three subsequent flights will be $4.1 billion each, with a total project cost of $93 billion by 2025.
How many hungry people could you feed for $93 billion? How many homeless could you house? How many schools and hospitals could you build? How much medical research could be funded? How many climate change projects?
Manned spaceflight is the boondoggliest of all boondoggles.
Boru
It's what, half of one percent of the US federal budget? I'm sure there's something more boondoggly than that in there.
It isn’t just the amount of money spent.
Boondoggle (n): work or activity that is wasteful or pointless, but gives the appearance of having value.
Boru
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 12:13 pm
I wouldn't say that investing in science is wasteful or pointless. If successful, it will likely inspire many kids and young people to get involved in science.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 1:28 pm
(August 29, 2022 at 12:13 pm)Fake Messiah Wrote: I wouldn't say that investing in science is wasteful or pointless. If successful, it will likely inspire many kids and young people to get involved in science.
I agree. I’m not anti-science, I think governments have a vested interest in funding scientific research, and it’s clear that space exploration is important.
But why manned spaceflight? It costs - on average - 10x as much per mission as unmanned probes for the same result. I know the stated objective of the Artemis programme is so we can learn to live on Mars. Why? When I think of the trillions of dollars (not to mention the risk to human lives) of getting a handful of people to Mars and sustaining them there, I can’t help be wonder how much better that money could be spent addressing pressing problems on Earth. Ameliorating poverty, food shortages, climate change, energy issues and so on seems like a much better use of humanity’s talent and resources.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 1:30 pm
Well, manned flights inspire people. They get the dollars rolling in, etc. Those other things...spending money on them won't fix them, to put it bluntly...those problems are how we create wealth.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 2:24 pm
(This post was last modified: August 29, 2022 at 2:24 pm by Fake Messiah.)
It seems to me that humans won't be walking on Mars in this century (too many technical hurdles), so if there was some plan to send humans in the next decade to Mars, the technology to keep them alive on Mars would probably be of considerable benefit to us on Earth.
But sure, if you ask me I would much rather have a hundred billion dollars spent on cleaning Earth from pollution and developing clean sources of energy, like some nuclear power. And that's how it is with space programs - whenever there is some program to explore space people react to how there are hungry people to feed.
Maybe they could have given $50 billion to New Yorkers and Angelenos to pay part of their growing rents, but that would never happen because GOP would crucify Biden.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 2:28 pm
(August 29, 2022 at 2:24 pm)Fake Messiah Wrote: It seems to me that humans won't be walking on Mars in this century (too many technical hurdles), so if there was some plan to send humans in the next decade to Mars, the technology to keep them alive on Mars would probably be of considerable benefit to us on Earth.
But sure, if you ask me I would much rather have a hundred billion dollars spent on cleaning Earth from pollution and developing clean sources of energy, like some nuclear power. And that's how it is with space programs - whenever there is some program to explore space people react to how there are hungry people to feed.
Maybe they could have given $50 billion to New Yorkers and Angelenos to pay part of their growing rents, but that would never happen because GOP would crucify Biden.
How many homeless people is a landing on Mars going to shelter?
FYI:
Quote:NASA is under presidential orders to land humans on Mars by 2033
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 2:45 pm
(This post was last modified: August 29, 2022 at 2:47 pm by Fake Messiah.)
(August 29, 2022 at 2:28 pm)BrianSoddingBoru4 Wrote: Quote:NASA is under presidential orders to land humans on Mars by 2033
Boru
Ha, yeah, that was back under Pence's orders and he's not a very realistic guy.
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 5:57 pm
You cannot make this shit up.
Welcome to "Jim Trusty's used president's lot, we have and old bombastic liar and traitor that comes with a rusted out Ford Pinto, just don't back into anything" Act now and we will spy on your wife and put her on Jerry Springer".
When "Jim Trusty" dumps Trump, his next lawyer will be Slim Jim.
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 7:11 pm
(August 29, 2022 at 1:30 pm)The Grand Nudger Wrote: Well, manned flights inspire people.
Not me.
I don't often agree with other people, but we should be spending the money where it's more needed here on the planet.
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RE: Noteworthy News
August 29, 2022 at 7:34 pm
Spending on space supports highly skilled jobs, fuels technology advancements with practical applications, and creates business opportunities that feed back into the economy. This in turn grows the pool of public money that can be spent on solving the world's most pressing problems.
If you get to thinking you’re a person of some influence, try ordering somebody else’s dog around.
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