M
PiotrSatan":28jhsuxt said:It clearly states that we are sentient species. We begin to know about substances acting in low gravity environment and what is space composited of and which of these materials can we use. With time we might learn how to mine asteroids, make colonies not only in-orbit like the moon, but also on other objects. We might even get to know few-years terraforming process so instead of making mars habitable years of years and so on with current technology, we can make mars earth-like "in a minute" compared to the growth of humans. If we settle ourselves on other planets, moons etc. Earth will no longer be needed as much. We wouldnt have to worry about asteroid hitting Earth when we'd have like 100 other planets. That is beneficial. Now, we cannot do practically anything and if we will not practice space travels, space research (ISS) we will not get anywhere and in next 400 years the nature will die with us. Indeed it might trigger some conflicts like planetary rebellion or nuclear war, but then again, if one planet gets destroyed and we would posses the technology to get another planet within our bounds, who would care?
missionunknown":18r7f2i1 said:PiotrSatan":18r7f2i1 said:It clearly states that we are sentient species. We begin to know about substances acting in low gravity environment and what is space composited of and which of these materials can we use. With time we might learn how to mine asteroids, make colonies not only in-orbit like the moon, but also on other objects. We might even get to know few-years terraforming process so instead of making mars habitable years of years and so on with current technology, we can make mars earth-like "in a minute" compared to the growth of humans. If we settle ourselves on other planets, moons etc. Earth will no longer be needed as much. We wouldnt have to worry about asteroid hitting Earth when we'd have like 100 other planets. That is beneficial. Now, we cannot do practically anything and if we will not practice space travels, space research (ISS) we will not get anywhere and in next 400 years the nature will die with us. Indeed it might trigger some conflicts like planetary rebellion or nuclear war, but then again, if one planet gets destroyed and we would posses the technology to get another planet within our bounds, who would care?
Understood and please understand that i am playing devils advocate here but what has actually been achieved so far by manned space ventures that has actually benefitted the human species in any way?
missionunknown":12rt36bt said:...has ever come out of it? How has it benefitted us back on earth?
The hook-and-loop fastener was invented in 1941 by Swiss engineer, George de Mestral[5][7][8] who lived in Commugny, Switzerland.
Considering that he said that he's palying the devil's advocate role, I would cut him some slack. It is somewhat dissappointing that there isn't a huge list of material benefits that have been had from space projects. A lot of knowledge has been gained that could translate into future benefits. Space_Architect has a nice list, but most of them didn't involve "humans going into space". Or should "humans going into space" be interpreted more generally as "humans sending things into space"?menellom":26zvmypt said:I'm not sure what's more disappointing, the OPs blatant troll attempt or the fact that so many people are indulging him.
Space_Architect":2d1hqtdu said:Well for starters some of the greatest benefits our space program have been and are currently giving us are:
* Networked television
* Satellite television
* Satellite radio
* Satellite telecommunications
* Satellite weather
* Satellite remote sensing
* Geopositioning System
* Commerce - geotracking has empowered business JIT operations, freeing up thousands of companies from maintaining costly inventories (a major contribution to economic growth)
* Improving our understanding of our environment (magnetosphere, plate tectonics, Earth weather, and space weather)
* Stellar evolution and cosmology - understanding our origins in the universe
* Space medicine - understanding the frailties of the human body
* Chemistry - understanding the behavior of chemicals free from gravity
* Manufacturing - many new improvements and innovations come from space research
* HVAC/Insulation/Fire suppression systems - much of this field depends on space technologies
(For the current list of recent contributions, check out NASA's Spinoff program http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/.)
Some of the potential benefits to come are:
* Energy - the largest fusion reactor around is the sun, we just need to improve how we tap into it
* Telecommunications - streaming HD photorealistic VR MMORPGs (our steampunk telecom net isn't going to keep up with the next 2-3 generations of computing)
* Space resources - there's more gold and platinum in a single asteroid than everything that's ever been mined in human history, and there are millions of asteroids. Plus the lunar surface is primarily made of aluminum and titanium. Couple that with glass made from our deserts and an endless supply of energy, we can build cities where every home is as big as a hectare.
* Survival - as more and more nations are champing at the bit to get nuclear weapons, the probability of nuclear exchange keeps increasing, and the safest place to be is off-world.
* Colonies - you'll have the option of choosing a surface variety on the Moon and Mars; or the orbital variety above Earth or any planet, or the sun (asteroid belts or the lagrange points).
Valcan":wmwtjrep said:Also think or rare earths. They are used in alot of alloys of only a very small amount are available each yr. This would bring the price down and make many products more feasable and accessable by the general public. Also the value in medical research, materials etc is worth far more than the cost of a station.
EarthlingX":3hw65zu2 said:Haven't you people heard of a Lebensraum? This one is most notorious, but hardly alone, do i have to point with finger ?
Arguing about this tiny piece of something in the middle of infinite space ? How silly is that ?
Cosmicvoid":2xacoup5 said:Is Tang (the fake orange drink) a benefit of the space program?