Opti
Community Leader
Joined: Dec 18, 2010 10:45:38 GMT -5
Posts: 39,701
Location: New Jersey
Mini-Profile Name Color: c28523
Mini-Profile Text Color: 990033
|
Post by Opti on Jul 28, 2015 23:05:27 GMT -5
I wonder what fellow posters feel about spending money on space exploration in wake of the recent photos from Pluto. For? Against? Have a budget in mind?
www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/nasa-tells-lawmakers-to-brace-for-more-pluto-secrets-revealed-by-mission/ar-AAdCV09?ocid=iehp
WASHINGTON — Hoping to capture lawmakers' imaginations and perhaps loosen their purse strings, NASA officials said Tuesday that the new scientific information gleaned from the New Horizons mission to Pluto was "revolutionizing" what they know about the icy dwarf planet.
Among other things, the mission revealed evidence of an internal ocean, atmospheric hazes and "other wonders," Alan Stern, principal investigator of the mission, said before the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
The New Horizons probe — launched in 2006 and powered by plutonium — reached the closest phase of its brief planetary flyby of Pluto and its five moons on July 14.
The decision of whether the mission, which cost about $700 million, will now travel on to another Kuiper belt mission will be made by NASA this summer. According to Stern, the spacecraft can operate for 20 more years, allowing for a flyby of another Kuiper belt building block by 2019.
NASA supporters said the hearing was held in part to inspire and educate the next generation of scientists to join these fields, and to assure them that there will be money to fund space exploration.
Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, committee chairman, urged the Obama administration to "restore these crucial funds to the science and exploration accounts."
|
|
Politically_Incorrect12
Senior Member
With a little faith, we can move a mountain; with a little help, we can change the world.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 20:42:13 GMT -5
Posts: 3,763
|
Post by Politically_Incorrect12 on Jul 29, 2015 9:16:07 GMT -5
I think it's a worthwhile endeavor, and we've gotten other more "practical" uses out of it as well with some of the things we use pretty regularly now.
|
|
Wisconsin Beth
Distinguished Associate
No, we don't walk away. But when we're holding on to something precious, we run.
Joined: Dec 20, 2010 11:59:36 GMT -5
Posts: 30,626 
|
Post by Wisconsin Beth on Jul 29, 2015 9:18:51 GMT -5
I'm all for it.
I also want better/different space telescopes. I'd like more info on the exoplanets we've found and different instruments could help with that.
|
|
djAdvocate
Member Emeritus
only posting when the mood strikes me.
Joined: Jun 21, 2011 12:33:54 GMT -5
Posts: 75,104 
Mini-Profile Background: {"image":"","color":"000307"}
|
Post by djAdvocate on Jul 29, 2015 11:14:52 GMT -5
i think it is what we need to do.
|
|
happyhoix
Distinguished Associate
Joined: Oct 7, 2011 7:22:42 GMT -5
Posts: 20,885
|
Post by happyhoix on Jul 30, 2015 14:46:50 GMT -5
I have perfectly mixed feelings on this.
On the one hand China is ramping up their space program and may have a man on the moon in a decade. I don't want to give up our superiority in the space race to the Chinese. On the other hand, the Chinese economy may be in the crapper, and that might curtail their adventures.
On the one hand, the space program has caused us to have technological breakthroughs that benefited us significantly in other fields. On the other hand, that's a lot of money that could fix a lot of infrastructure.
So - I think we should continue to support the unmanned space probe program but (for now) shelf manned space travel, due to the much higher costs involved.
|
|
