Investing in space travel?

[Andrew1990]

I was thinking, instead of doing this entire bailout thing that really only helps the heads of these corporations, why not invest that money into space travel?

It was estimated that it would cost 1 trillion dollars to start a base on the moon. That is something like 1/3rd of what we are spending on the bailout. With the moon base, it will creat quite a few jobs in my opinion with building and testing. It will also allow us to get a stepping stone out in space where we can launch exploration vehicles to mars and such much easier.

I know that in the beginning it would probably not bring much to the table, but in the long run it might be a great success to human kind.

I rather have our governments spend money on that then to spend money bailing out companies who dont even know how to run right.

 

[Farang]

The.

Bailout.

Money.

Isn't.

Being.

"Spent."

Thank you. Please read over 10 more times.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Dumbest idea I've read in a while. Why not spend the money instead on infrastructure or something that will employee more people? Who gives a crap about a moon base.

 

[OFFascist]

Fuck we could go to the moon and mars with that money.

 

[Siddhartha]

It can be argued that space exploration is part of the country's intrastructure. But I do not think it would be the most efficient way to stimulate the econmoy in the shortest time.

 

[StageLeft]

Great use of money. Maybe next we can make a floating palace that sits on a bed of massive turbine engines, their fuel continually replenished by a huge fleet of refueling jets that toil day and night to ensure the palace's majesty can stay aloft until the end of time.

 

[Robor]

I'm all for space exploration but given our current technology our capability of space 'travel' is pretty limited. What would we learn from spending the $$$ to send a manned mission to Mars? Add to that the many issues facing the country and I think we need to focus our money elsewhere - for now.

 

[CaptnKirk]

A NASA level Space Agency colaboration with the Auto Industry and the Industrial Military Complex could be the proper approach
to maximizing the effort to produce energy effecient vehicles, bring solar energy storage, and distribution of power accross the nation.

The Military uses compact jet engines to power and fly the cruise missles, and a low cost derivative of that turbine
could be an 'on-board' solution to providing an 'on-the-go' recharging solution to a vehicle that needs to store electricity
in advanced battery modules, when hooking up to a recharging station is not available.
They do not need to provide any power to a drive axle, all they have to do is spin up, and through gear reduction
run a generator unit that charges the battery packs while the vehicle is in transit.
They can burn anything - oil, gas, diesel, alcohol, etc.
Made as inexpensive modular replaceable units, they could be made and sold for under $2,000 - providing a common core
to all of the automobile manufacturers - the same power plant, regardless of assembly company, Ford, GM, or Chrysler.
Same scenario for the rotary generator package - common replaceable modular unit for all
brands.
NASA can focus on advanced battery units for these vehicles, for space and for ground equipment solutions.

NASA has technologically advanced solar panels currently in use on the International Space Station, and as further advances
are made, those which have promise, can be deployed on the acreage of buildings and parking lots, even malls
to provide a 'plug-in' recharging station while people are at work, shopping, or at home.
During the daylight hours
they add capacity to a power grid, or charge battery banks for use of energy at night.

The equipment as it develops over time can be designed for space program usage, but be deployed now for on earth solutions
to our present energy needs, and as technology advances, the consortium of manufacturers keep advancing the capabilities.

We are 10 or more years from a Moon Mission at the earliest, and closer to 20 years out from any serious attempt at a Mars Mission.
While we are engineering the equipment for those endevours, we can usein the the short term, development products that remain
earth-based while we work on the long term goal of space travel.

Imagine if you could drive to work, plug in and charge your vehicle while you are at work, drive home and plug in at home.

 

[boomerang]

What we need is the transporter. Need to go into the office - step in the transporter and beam on over. Vacation? Beam yourself over to Fiji for a weekend.

No cars, no trucks, no roads, no bridges, no maintenance.

Think big.

 

[Oceandevi]

Asteroid mining, Or NEO since the belt is pretty damn far. Robotic mining of a metal rich NEO could be very profitable. Where do you mine it though? How do you get the goods planetside? questions..

 

[Thump553]

A lot of people are dismissing this idea out of hand, but those of us who grew up in the sixties know how many things we have today (like personal computers) that were either developed because of the space race or an offshoot of it.

 

[Infohawk]

Originally posted by: Siddhartha
It can be argued that space exploration is part of the country's intrastructure. But I do not think it would be the most efficient way to stimulate the econmoy in the shortest time.

Yeah. The space industry is very specialized.

 

[Throckmorton]

Originally posted by: Farang
The.

Bailout.

Money.

Isn't.

Being.

"Spent."

Thank you. Please read over 10 more times.

It's an investment. Science is also an investment.

 

[RightIsWrong]

Since I just finished my first week (albeit a short one) working at NASA....I say a triumphant YES!

 

[winnar111]

Originally posted by: Thump553
A lot of people are dismissing this idea out of hand, but those of us who grew up in the sixties know how many things we have today (like personal computers) that were either developed because of the space race or an offshoot of it.

Yeah, but the government wasn't a massive healthcare factory at the time.

 

[Harvey]

I just said, "no" to the rocket bridge to nowhere.

 

[Stunt]

Originally posted by: Farang
The.

Bailout.

Money.

Isn't.

Being.

"Spent."

Thank you. Please read over 10 more times.

How is it not spending?

 

[Stunt]

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Dumbest idea I've read in a while. Why not spend the money instead on infrastructure or something that will employee more people? Who gives a crap about a moon base.

Helium 3 isotope!!
I give a huge crap

 

[gevorg]

If all that money was pumped into nanotechnology research centers in top companies/universities, space travel and everything else would be quite different in 10-15 years.

Think space elevators

 

[ericlp]

Fuck the big 3, the insurance companies and the banks.... Lets fire up the rockets and get busy!

I say it would keep our minds off the drepressing economy and show some real american enthusiasm. What a GREAT idea!



Edit, the only way to persuade the ney sayers is tell them their are terrorist in space and we need to fight them there before we have to fight them here. Hell, even idiot bush would sign that.

 

[Schadenfroh]

Originally posted by: Oceandevi
Asteroid mining, Or NEO since the belt is pretty damn far. Robotic mining of a metal rich NEO could be very profitable. Where do you mine it though? How do you get the goods planetside? questions..

A very good reason to build a space elevator. I assume that one would be needed for operations such as this one on a large scale.

 

[Andrew1990]

Excuse me for not knowing, but what is a space elevator?



NVM, read a wiki article. Looks pretty interesting. I would love to see something like this built. It would also require a lot of man power to make which = jobs.

 

[libs0n]

The space elevator isn't as technically feasible as you might imagine, and is a poor solution to the problem of cheap access to space. It ain't cheap. I'd recommend space tethers and reusable vehicles to reach them, as well as a pipeline type transport method like laser launch or light gas gun launch.

As to the thread idea, if it were implemented I'd recommend better oversight of NASA, or a bypass of NASA altogether.

Originally posted by: Stunt

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Dumbest idea I've read in a while. Why not spend the money instead on infrastructure or something that will employee more people? Who gives a crap about a moon base.

Helium 3 isotope!!
I give a huge crap

Helium 3 is crap. No Fusion reactors, no fusion reactors that require Helium 3 as fuel. It's bunk.

 

[Stunt]

Originally posted by: libs0n

Originally posted by: Stunt

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Dumbest idea I've read in a while. Why not spend the money instead on infrastructure or something that will employee more people? Who gives a crap about a moon base.

Helium 3 isotope!!
I give a huge crap

Helium 3 is crap. No Fusion reactors, no fusion reactors that require Helium 3 as fuel. It's bunk.

Fusion research, Space development...excellent opportunities/suggestions for "investment"

 

[SsupernovaE]

Originally posted by: Stunt

Originally posted by: libs0n

Originally posted by: Stunt

Originally posted by: Capt Caveman
Dumbest idea I've read in a while. Why not spend the money instead on infrastructure or something that will employee more people? Who gives a crap about a moon base.

Helium 3 isotope!!
I give a huge crap

Helium 3 is crap. No Fusion reactors, no fusion reactors that require Helium 3 as fuel. It's bunk.

Fusion research, Space development...excellent opportunities/suggestions for "investment"

This. If we go all-out with space exploration, I'll wager my soul that we' ll come up with more investment opportunities than ever before.