Why Space Exploration is Important to the United States

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Everything I need to know I learned through Googling.

Before reading the article, my answer is "because we're humans, and that implies that we're even more curious and pushing boundaries than other animals".

Now I'll read the article.

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To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

Having read the article, he lists a range of good reasons for exploration.

Exploration (of space and knowledge) has many possible advantages indeed. And beyond those advantages, humans explore for the sake of exploration. It's in our blood. And I'm fine with that .

About the chicken/egg thing "do we have many benefits because we explore, or do we explore because of the many benefits?" I think it's a bit of both. Because we are a very curious species, we are willing to go on exploration attracted by the possible benefits of it.

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Why did a buncha nutjobs stick themselves on little wooden ships to cross one of the most hostile bodies of water to explore a newly discovered continent?

A civilization that fails to grow, stagnates.

Or declines. But anyway, *duh*

Water that fails to get warmer, remains at the same temperature. Or becomes colder. That seems rather trivial to me.

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A civilization that fails to understand thermodynamics is nonetheless influenced by it.

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"What you think you thought you saw you did not see." Agent J, MiB - Manhatten Bureau

Indeed, and that just ain't fair

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To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

As another poster's signature says,

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Thermodynamics are The Powers That Be...

Space exploration is important because it gives us something other than thermodynamics to devote our attention to

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I don't think we have to worry about not exploring space. But I do think the best way to achieve it is to continue sustainable economic development on earth. At the moment an average income earner in the U.S. might have to pay 10 years salery or more to afford a trip into orbit. But if we average 3% a year economic growth per person, then in a hundred years an orbital trip will only cost about 7 months salery. In two hundred years it will only cost about 2 weeks pay. And then there are quite a few people who believe that economic growth will average more than 3% in the future, so the day when it costs a month's pay to go to mars may not be that far off.

Besides the fact that it's in our best interest to learn as much as possible about the enviorment in which we live; I believe that a strong space program may one day save our butts. All of our efforts in building and operating various types of spacecraft over the years have given us the ability to conduct operations against potential threats to the Earth. Without this continued expertise, how are we going to successfully stop an asteroid or comet that may be heading our way? Sending probes to other planets, practice in placing spacecraft in orbit around planets or asteroids, practice in performing landing operations, instruments designed to tell us the composition of planets, comets, and asteriods; all these things are continuing to add to our space expertise. All of this know-how must be kept in practice. If you don't use it - You lose it.

Honestly, I think space exploration might end up being the wake up call humans need to take a few extra precautions preserving the Earth, if we determine planets like this one are sufficiently rare.

Not to say there's no place to go, but it may well be, there IS no place like home.

Another point is that it is a nice amount of time, effort and money not spent on evil things .

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To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

Because they thought it might make them rich. Probably not why space exploration is important today. Or in their national interest, which is very much why exploration was important 40 years ago, but less so today.

A very valid reason for today, in my opinion.

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Cum catapultae proscribeantur tum soli proscripti catapultas habeant.

Am I misinterpreting this statement?

I mean, if failing to grow means we stagnate, it means that we have only the choice to grow or to stagnate, not to decline. That way, I would see little reason to explore. If we're happy now and not growing means we stay on par, so be it, quit exploring.

I think that the danger is that, when one does not explore, one is not in the best position for survival of the civilization (local or global). So when we fail to grow, we will not stagnate but decline. If not because we can't solve our problems, it will because others are in a more favorable position and "push us out of the way".

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To the regular visitor of internet bulletin boards it is clear that it's an excellent idea your parents get to choose your real name.

How do you know this? The British Empire got hacked down to pretty much just Britian but the average British citizen now seems better off in terms of wealth, life expectancy and education than at anytime in the past. It hasn't been growing, but we can't really say it's been stagnateing.

Exploration is only one method of not stagnating. A culture could explore sciences without exploring other physical areas and not be a pushover when some other exploring group discovers them. A lot of science fiction stories play off the scenario of humanity waking a sleeping giant.

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"What you think you thought you saw you did not see." Agent J, MiB - Manhatten Bureau

We can revisit the whole discussion of where our priority should be -- whether on robotics or on manned missions, but I don't think you'll find much disagreement on this forum as to the desirability of exploring space.

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"I'm as accurate as any psychic. And I'm a cartoon!" -- Squidward

"Arrrgh, the laws of physics be a harsh mistress!" -- Bender

I wouldn't knock wealth as a possible answer, considering the corporate interests in spaceflight coming up. And national interest I think is still as valid today as its ever been.

Look at how the US is reeling from the problems with the space shuttle, and how the media is ramming it in our faces every time one appears on screen. Or look at how Russia is doing now that they've got the world at their doorstep for coming out with the best mousetrap. Ok, so space tourism might not seem like the most prestigious way to go down in the history books, but look closer. They were the first to take the practical steps necessary to make space accessible to people outside the rarified air of the astronaut/cosmonaut community. Its hideously expensive, but it does exist. The first steps in civilian space are theirs.

Interesting points. Russia is winning the real space race...