Here’s an idea if you want to inspire the generation that voted for you:
Let’s go to Mars.
17 thoughts on “Hey mr. Obama”
Comments are closed.
Here’s an idea if you want to inspire the generation that voted for you:
Let’s go to Mars.
Comments are closed.
Do you mean humans or robots? If robots, well duh =) If humans…it’s just not worth it until we’ve learned significantly more from robot missions. Not to mention, speaking as an American, we have a lot of pits to dig ourselves out of before we can spend that kind of money.
Money is something you create. Inspiring people is what converts that money into imagination.
For solving a financial crisis, the best thing you can do is inspiring people.
Boo. Let’s not give up on Earth. We can stop global warming through new energy generation means. We can promote peace. We can save this planet. No need for Mars in the next 8 years. :)
Canned primates are pretty much always the wrong answer when it comes to space exploration. You have to waste mass on things like food and air, and for longer trips, worry about them going insane. I grew up watching Star Trek, too, but you pretty much need an unlimited energy budget and a reactionless drive before it makes any sense to schlep canned primates around.
Save this for the second term. We’ve got other more pressing matters currently.
that’s the dumbest idea ever. and not just for ROI purposes.
wouldn’t it be much more inspiring if we put half the money into fighting desease/climate change and the other half into creating a framework that helps spread knowledge all over the world?
repeating a stunt from decades ago won’t do much good compared to that.
Let’s use 100% clean renewable energy, then think about Mars.
Doing the work and research to get canned primates to Mars on a budget may be the catalyst that gives us new ideas for renewable and clean energy. After all, the moon race gave us microwave ovens and duct tape and all sorts of other interesting stuff.
Agreeing (a lot) with muppet here
“With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon, we will then be ready to take the next steps of space exploration: human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond. (Applause.) Robotic missions will serve as trailblazers — the advanced guard to the unknown. Probes, landers and other vehicles of this kind continue to prove their worth, sending spectacular images and vast amounts of data back to Earth. Yet the human thirst for knowledge ultimately cannot be satisfied by even the most vivid pictures, or the most detailed measurements. We need to see and examine and touch for ourselves. And only human beings are capable of adapting to the inevitable uncertainties posed by space travel. ”
Like that?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040114-3.html
“With the experience and knowledge gained on the moon, we will then be ready to take the next steps of space exploration: human missions to Mars and to worlds beyond. (Applause.) Robotic missions will serve as trailblazers — the advanced guard to the unknown. Probes, landers and other vehicles of this kind continue to prove their worth, sending spectacular images and vast amounts of data back to Earth. Yet the human thirst for knowledge ultimately cannot be satisfied by even the most vivid pictures, or the most detailed measurements. We need to see and examine and touch for ourselves. And only human beings are capable of adapting to the inevitable uncertainties posed by space travel.”
Like that?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/01/20040114-3.html
Is that before or after he fills my gas tank and pays my mortgage?
Tempting as it is to believe a push for Mars would be as dramatic as the race to the moon and help drive forward technological progress I’m not convinced. I would think Energy Independence (or at least a reduction on our dependancy on oil) would seem like a better target closer to home that could also potentially drive forward technological progress.
-1 for Mars
+1 for Moon, because it is easier to convert this to money (e.g. Helium-3 and solar power)
Actually, WWII gave us the microwave oven. Maybe the president of the US should start a war. All the military spending on research can really boost the economy.
I’m getting a really weird sense of déja vu now, only it feels kind of… wrong somehow.
Why not ask what astronomers, atmospheric and space scientists want to do?
What a concept … listening to what people want, rather than telling them to shut up and go to mars.
I agree that the Moon is a much better choice. No human has left low Earth orbit in my lifetime, and it’s much more imminently doable than getting someone to Mars and back. (remember the “back”!) I agree that government spending on a Big Project like this is key to getting the economy back on track, but I don’t think that Mars is solvable on a timeframe that would enable that right now.
– Chris