Astronomy / The Universe

[Selkirk_Jambo]

 

 

[Cade]

Pluto's ice isn't water-based; it's frozen methane.

 

 

[henrysmithsgloves]

2 hours ago, Selkirk_Jambo said:

 

 

Wow 😲😲

[Unknown user]

2 hours ago, Cade said:

Pluto's ice isn't water-based; it's frozen methane.

 

 

Aw man, the frozen fart planet? **** global warming there!

[henrysmithsgloves]

1 hour ago, Smithee said:

Aw man, the frozen fart planet? **** global warming there!

I thought that was Uranus 🥺

[JFK-1]

Can humanity's new giant leap into space succeed?

 

There is a new order emerging in space - a race between America and China. But with the demands of space exploration, even these great superpowers won't be able to do it alone.

Hugely technically challenging and costly goals have been touted, not least the aim of people living and working on other worlds, possibly within ten years - but in a divided world where international good will is scarce, are they realistic?

Nasa's return to the Moon has begun with its Artemis programme. The first of three missions has been successfully launched. This uncrewed flight tested that the rockets and technology worked. The second mission will take humans further in space than they have ever gone before and the third launch will put astronauts on the Moon for a week, where they will carry out experiments. The long-term goal is to use the Moon as a jumping off point to get to Mars.

But the programme is estimated to cost $93bn (£76bn), a heavy price tag for the American taxpayer, who is already feeling the economic squeeze.

 

Full article

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64039146

 

[maroonlegions]

FFs not another one.

 

BLOG.SCIANDNATURE.COM

NASA Just Discovered a Rare Earth-Sized Planet in a Habitable Zone

When it comes to finding life outside of our Solar System, planets that closely resemble Earth seem like a good place to start. We can now welcome celestial object TOI 700 e to that group of promising leads.

 

[maroonlegions]

 

 

https://www.sciandnature.com/2023/01/can-there-be-more-habitable-planet-than.html

 

Kepler 442b gets the most PAR, or photosynthetically active radiation, of all the exoplanets examined in this research, and could theoretically support the same amount of life as Earth, according to analysis published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

[JFK-1]

 

The number of stars that people can see with the naked eye has reduced dramatically over the last decade. The cause is "Skyglow" from artificial lighting - the brightness of that glow has increased every year since 2011.

 

Full article

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64321824

[henrysmithsgloves]

2 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

The number of stars that people can see with the naked eye has reduced dramatically over the last decade. The cause is "Skyglow" from artificial lighting - the brightness of that glow has increased every year since 2011.

 

Full article

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64321824

The local council replaced all the street lamps with led lights a couple of years ago. Not perfect,but can see a marked increase in the night sky here. The only problem is the light pollution all around the major population centres🥺

[John Gentleman]

On 10/01/2023 at 10:37, jonesy said:

Maybe the aliens have gone on strike?

They're demanding a 40 hour flying week.

[maroonlegions]

 

NOSHMA.COM

Astronomers Find a Beautiful Six-Planet System in Almost Perfect Orbital Harmony -

 

[maroonlegions]

No , this is not Earth.

 

James Webb Space Telescope acquired this view of Saturn's largest moon Titan and the atmospheric haze around the moon .

A. Pagan, W. M. Keck Observatory, NASA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[henrysmithsgloves]

1 minute ago, maroonlegions said:

No , this is not Earth.

 

James Webb Space Telescope acquired this view of Saturn's largest moon Titan and the atmospheric haze around the moon .

A. Pagan, W. M. Keck Observatory, NASA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like an out of focus alien 👽🤣. 

Here is a better photo 👍🏻

[Cade]

SpaceX currently conducting a full wet dress rehearsal of Starship.

Both the heavy booster and the ship on top are being fully fuelled and cooled as if for a launch.

 

Must be very close to a full orbital test in the coming days.

 

[henrysmithsgloves]

Discovered this channel on you tube..some great photography of mars😎😎😎

 

[JFK-1]

Asteroid 2023 BU: Space rock to pass closer than some satellites

 

 

 

About the size of a minibus, the space rock, known as 2023 BU, will whip over the southern tip of South America just after midnight GMT. With a closest expected approach of 3,600km (2,200 miles), it counts as a close shave.

And it illustrates how there are still asteroids of significant size lurking near Earth that remain to be detected.

This one was only picked up last weekend by amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov, who operates from Nauchnyi in Crimea, the peninsula that Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Follow up observations have refined what we know about 2023 BU's size and, crucially, its orbit.

 

Full article

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64411469

 

 

[henrysmithsgloves]

Looking out for this one.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/science/2023/jan/23/exotic-green-comet-not-seen-since-stone-age-returns-to-skies-above-earth

[JFK-1]

SpaceX conducted the first ever 31-engine static fire test with Super Heavy Booster 7, successfully igniting 31 of 33 engines for a full duration burn.

 

 

[Cade]

That was also a new world record for the total amount of thrust that any rocket has ever produced.

 

Getting very close to flight testing the super heavy booster.

[ri Alban]

Hope this bankrupts Musk and his backers.

[JFK-1]

Venus and Jupiter to create spectacle in the sky

 

The first night of meteorological spring will see Jupiter and Venus appear as if they are almost touching each other in the sky.

 

Wednesday's phenomenon is known as conjunction - when a planet appears close to a moon, star, or other planet.

 

The glare from Jupiter, the largest planet, and Venus, the brightest planet, will create a spectacular glow, according to Nasa.

Spectators will also be able to see four of Jupiter's brightest moons.

 

Full article https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64805404

[JFK-1]

I had completely forgotten about the Venus/Jupiter conjunction, just stepped outside and there it was right in front of me. Looks like a plane coming towards me.

[JFK-1]

 

SpaceX night launch produces stunning display

 

 

[Unknown user]

8 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

I had completely forgotten about the Venus/Jupiter conjunction, just stepped outside and there it was right in front of me. Looks like a plane coming towards me.

Oh I saw it late last night when I was out with the dog, that's exactly what I thought it was at first, especially as we were walking along the forth coast in the direction of Turnhouse.

[JFK-1]

11 hours ago, Smithee said:

Oh I saw it late last night when I was out with the dog, that's exactly what I thought it was at first, especially as we were walking along the forth coast in the direction of Turnhouse.

 

I must have spent a minute or so staring at it wondering why it wasn't coming closer then remembered the conjunction. It was another demonstration for me of how bright Venus is. Apparently Venus is frequently mistaken for a UFO, or whatever the hell they're calling that now.

[JFK-1]

The giant arcs that may dwarf everything in the cosmos

 

The discovery of giant superclusters of galaxies are challenging our very understanding of the Universe.

 

In 2021, British PhD student Alexia Lopez was analysing the light coming from distant quasars when she made a startling discovery.

She detected a giant, almost symmetrical arc of galaxies 9.3 billion light years away in the constellation of Boötes the Herdsman. Spanning a massive 3.3 billion light years across, the structure is a whopping 1/15th the radius of the observable Universe. If we could see it from Earth, it would be the size of 35 full moons displayed across the sky.

Known as the Giant Arc, the structure throws into question some of the basic assumptions about the Universe. According to the standard model of cosmology – the theory on which our understanding of the Universe is based – matter should be more-or-less evenly distributed across space. When scientists view the Universe on very large scales there should be no noticeable irregularities; everything should look the same in every direction.

Yet the Giant Arc isn't the only example of its kind. These gargantuan structures are now forcing scientists to reassess their theory of how the Universe evolved.

 

Full article

 

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20230302-the-giant-arcs-that-may-dwarf-everything-in-the-cosmos

[Masonic]

how did the dog and cats get there? did they use the 60 year technology that was "lost"

 

 

the pluto photoshop about 8 years ago was a belter oh wait it was an official nasa photo

[Cade]

Oh surprise, surprise......

 

Virgin Orbit has paused its operations and furloughed its workforce as it hunts for a funding lifeline.
Bosses told employees at an all-staff meeting on Wednesday that the remainder of the workforce will be put on unpaid furlough, although employees can cash in annual leave.

The company’s chief executive, Dan Hart, told staff that putting them on furlough would buy time to finalise a new investment plan.

 

 

[JFK-1]

Hues of pink, purple and green streaked the skies in North America overnight in a dazzling display of Northern Lights.

Weather officials said the aurora, which was seen from California to New York, as far south as Arizona and north into Canada, was "fairly unusual".

 

The event was categorised as a "severe geomagnetic storm" and received the second highest rating in strength, a G4. The strongest would be a G5.

 

A less severe storm is expected this weekend.

"We got more of an impact than we expected," Bill Murtagh, programme co-ordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather and Prediction Center, told the BBC.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65067969

 

Seen on Thursday from Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

 

 

 

[Gizmo]

2 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

Hues of pink, purple and green streaked the skies in North America overnight in a dazzling display of Northern Lights.

Weather officials said the aurora, which was seen from California to New York, as far south as Arizona and north into Canada, was "fairly unusual".

 

The event was categorised as a "severe geomagnetic storm" and received the second highest rating in strength, a G4. The strongest would be a G5.

 

A less severe storm is expected this weekend.

"We got more of an impact than we expected," Bill Murtagh, programme co-ordinator at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Weather and Prediction Center, told the BBC.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65067969

 

Seen on Thursday from Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada

 

 

 

Stunning. 

[JFK-1]

An argument that Europe has to land on the moon inside 10 years or be left behind.

 

Europe risks being 'a spectator in next space race'

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65053729

[Unknown user]

21 minutes ago, JFK-1 said:

An argument that Europe has to land on the moon inside 10 years or be left behind.

 

Europe risks being 'a spectator in next space race'

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-65053729

 

I don't understand the argument - if Europe doesn't put someone on the moon, we'll miss out on the next round of Amazons and Googles? What am I missing here?

[Lone Striker]

1 hour ago, Smithee said:

 

I don't understand the argument - if Europe doesn't put someone on the moon, we'll miss out on the next round of Amazons and Googles? What am I missing here?

It sounds a bit like Hearts aiming for group stage  Europa League football.    Getting there is a big  achievement - gets you some prize money -  but once you're there, its a bit of a disappointment.

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2023 by Lone Striker

[Cade]

It's about advertising your product, since commercial launches are big money these days.

Last year alone there were 186 orbital launches from Earth, a mix of space station crew, space station supply and commercial satellites.

146 the year before, 114 the year before that.

It's a growing industry and orbital launch capability is a highly competitive market.

No better way to be regarded as one of the best providers than to get people up on the moon.
 

The European Space Agency's Ariane 5 has made 115 launches since 1996.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 has made 213 since 2010.

 

New providers are popping up all the time, catering to all sizes of cargo and at a huge variation of cost.

Europe may very well be left behind and this multi billion mega industry will be lost to us.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_in_spaceflight#Orbital_launch_statistics
 

[Lone Striker]

10 minutes ago, Cade said:

It's about advertising your product, since commercial launches are big money these days.

Last year alone there were 186 orbital launches from Earth, a mix of space station crew, space station supply and commercial satellites.

146 the year before, 114 the year before that.

It's a growing industry and orbital launch capability is a highly competitive market.

No better way to be regarded as one of the best providers than to get people up on the moon.
 

The European Space Agency's Ariane 5 has made 115 launches since 1996.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 has made 213 since 2010.

 

New providers are popping up all the time, catering to all sizes of cargo and at a huge variation of cost.

Europe may very well be left behind and this multi billion mega industry will be lost to us.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_in_spaceflight#Orbital_launch_statistics
 

Aren't all the big players in space launches continually  testing  all kinds of new high-spec technology & equipment with a view to using it on a space journey ?   Manufacturers of successful kit will reap the rewards when its used on any space journey surely,  not just to the moon ? 

 

I'd have thought  ISS journeys are complex  and regular enough to build the reputation of a manufacturer - although when the purpose of sending men to the moon becomes an intention to build some kind of permanent station or settlement, then yes that would be a game-changer.   

 

Is the moon ever likely to be the chosen destination for such a settlement though ?   Building your rockets ON the moon to explore other planets ?     

 

Its fascinating though.

 

 

[JFK-1]

I think they’re expecting new technologies and new industries to emerge from this, like happened after Apollo.

 

I'm convinced the moon is going to be entirely colonised, and if Europe can't send astronauts well then who is going to claim all that real estate?

 

[Gizmo]

52 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

Aren't all the big players in space launches continually  testing  all kinds of new high-spec technology & equipment with a view to using it on a space journey ?   Manufacturers of successful kit will reap the rewards when its used on any space journey surely,  not just to the moon ? 

 

I'd have thought  ISS journeys are complex  and regular enough to build the reputation of a manufacturer - although when the purpose of sending men to the moon becomes an intention to build some kind of permanent station or settlement, then yes that would be a game-changer.   

 

Is the moon ever likely to be the chosen destination for such a settlement though ?   Building your rockets ON the moon to explore other planets ?     

 

Its fascinating though.

 

 

Plan is to build a moonbase and a moon orbiter station. 

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2337346-nasa-is-planning-a-permanent-moon-base-what-will-it-take-to-build-it/

https://www.nasa.gov/gateway

[Lone Striker]

14 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

I think they’re expecting new technologies and new industries to emerge from this, like happened after Apollo.

 

I'm convinced the moon is going to be entirely colonised, and if Europe can't send astronauts well then who is going to claim all that real estate?

 

The winner of WW3 on Earth probably will.    😏

[bairdy]

14 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

I think they’re expecting new technologies and new industries to emerge from this, like happened after Apollo.

 

I'm convinced the moon is going to be entirely colonised, and if Europe can't send astronauts well then who is going to claim all that real estate?

 

Cala homes.

[JFK-1]

On 25/03/2023 at 19:04, Lone Striker said:

Aren't all the big players in space launches continually  testing  all kinds of new high-spec technology & equipment with a view to using it on a space journey ?   Manufacturers of successful kit will reap the rewards when its used on any space journey surely,  not just to the moon ? 

 

I'd have thought  ISS journeys are complex  and regular enough to build the reputation of a manufacturer - although when the purpose of sending men to the moon becomes an intention to build some kind of permanent station or settlement, then yes that would be a game-changer.   

 

Is the moon ever likely to be the chosen destination for such a settlement though ?   Building your rockets ON the moon to explore other planets ?     

 

Its fascinating though.

 

 

 

As far as rocket technology goes I would say there is only one big player from a global perspective, and that's the US. There is going to be building on the moon, and to do it will require a steady stream of heavy lift rocket launches.

 

China can't do that, Russia most certainly can't do it, but the US can. No other nation has such a large space budget and no other nation has private enterprise at the level of SpaceX to complement the national program.

 

NASA spends around 7 billion a year on human spaceflight research alone, that's the equivalent of the entire ESA budget for everything.  There's been chatter of an idea to raise say 10 billion a year for ESA via a tax on EU citizens. They calculated it would cost the tax payers maybe 75 cents a week, a sum they wouldn't even notice.

 

But that aside in the meantime the US is going to dominate the field and at this time is almost the only real runner. Not only does it have the rockets it has a moon orbiting station that will act as a portal.

 

Rockets are launched from Earth to the portal where all cargo and passengers are staged for transport to the surface, no one else at all has anything like that. At some point there will be rocket launches from the moon, that's a  given. The purpose isn't so clear cut though.

 

A crewed mission to Mars? I think we could send a rocket to Mars with humans, i'm not so sure they would survive it. And I don't really see the point in risking it till much further in the future, when it's relatively a piece of cake.

 

People are not going to be building and living there for a very long time, so what's the point of risking any? To me it's a far better idea to launch a giant robot from the moon, something heavy enough to dig deep into the surface. Say something as as heavy as a heavy tank which would be a game changer.

 

To me that's the only real use for Mars right now, scientific research robots will be able to do. I foresee something else happening if plans to send humans out of the solar system were ever to develop. Hard to say how long that will take.

 

Right now it's hard to imagine we could be doing that this century, but in 1900 scientists were saying man would never master heavier than air flight. Just 69 years later there was a man standing on the moon.

 

But if they were sending significant numbers of humans out into the stars they wont be in a rocket launched from the moon, they will be in a craft built in orbit sound either the Earth or moon. Something say as large as a town which you don't need to launch because it's already up there. All you need do is push it on it's way.

 

I doubt that could happen this century but what do I know, little more than those 1900 scientists knew.

 

[Cade]

Analysis of the asteroid scrapings returned to earth by Japan's ambitious Hayabusa 2 mission has revealed that many organic compounds are present on the asteroid, including amino acids and vitamin b3 (aka Niacin)!

https://www.universetoday.com/160710/asteroid-ryugu-contains-niacin-aka-vitamin-b3/

[Bigsmak]

On 27/03/2023 at 09:13, JFK-1 said:

 

I doubt that could happen this century but what do I know, little more than those 1900 scientists knew.

 

 

It comes down to a will to do it and  money.   If NASA, or Space X or whoever was told - you need to have a mini base on the moon before 2030, no excuses - It would happen - but right now, they need to convince people that the rewards are worth the cost.  If they find Lots of Lithium or Titanium that is easier to get to than on earth, then guess what - there will be a mine built and it will pay for the moon base.  

 

 

[JFK-1]

15 minutes ago, Bigsmak said:

 

It comes down to a will to do it and  money.   If NASA, or Space X or whoever was told - you need to have a mini base on the moon before 2030, no excuses - It would happen - but right now, they need to convince people that the rewards are worth the cost.  If they find Lots of Lithium or Titanium that is easier to get to than on earth, then guess what - there will be a mine built and it will pay for the moon base.  

 

 

 

I don't doubt there will be building on the moon this century, in fact I don't doubt it will have begun before this decade is out far less century. Adventures beyond the moon are what I have doubts about this century.

 

The moon is going to be colonised probably in many of our lifetimes and even right now there are spots which are more desirable than others, we might see moon based territorial disputes. One location can be more desirable than another for a multitude of reasons, just one of them being shade from the direct sunlight, toasty.

 

If anything worth mining is found another question is will it be like the earth, where say iron ore deposits are in a specific location but not another. Or, since the moon had an entirely different process of formation will anything worth mining be pretty much everywhere?

 

To my knowledge no one has dug more than a few feet or so below the surface, we don't know what's down there. Going to be interesting to find out.

[maroonlegions]

Well, well.

 

 

BLOG.THESPACEACADEMY.ORG

Professor Brian Cox Proves That Time Travel Is Possible With This Amazing Experiment

 

[Gizmo]

27 minutes ago, maroonlegions said:

Well, well.

 

 

BLOG.THESPACEACADEMY.ORG

Professor Brian Cox Proves That Time Travel Is Possible With This Amazing Experiment

 

Of course this is nothing new at all, no idea why you seized upon it as a "well, well" as if it's a eureka moment. Did you digest this and understand the implications at all regarding relativity or did you just ignorantly grab it as some sort of gotcha? We know and long known this concept - the equations for geo-spatial triangulation have to incorpate an adjustment for GPS to take into account that the clocks on the satelittes we use for triangulation are moving faster than those in our receivers on earth. There's nothing useful for us if we did fly off in a very fast rocket and returned having aged less than our friends or family, it's not the kind of time-travel I suspect you were hoping for (leaping instantly into the past or future).

PS your link is going to some old bloke's page on boomer-book and not that blog. Here is the rather old video: 
 

 

[Lone Striker]

14 hours ago, JFK-1 said:

 

I don't doubt there will be building on the moon this century, in fact I don't doubt it will have begun before this decade is out far less century. Adventures beyond the moon are what I have doubts about this century.

 

The moon is going to be colonised probably in many of our lifetimes and even right now there are spots which are more desirable than others, we might see moon based territorial disputes. One location can be more desirable than another for a multitude of reasons, just one of them being shade from the direct sunlight, toasty.

 

If anything worth mining is found another question is will it be like the earth, where say iron ore deposits are in a specific location but not another. Or, since the moon had an entirely different process of formation will anything worth mining be pretty much everywhere?

 

To my knowledge no one has dug more than a few feet or so below the surface, we don't know what's down there. Going to be interesting to find out.

I enjoy reading your musings & thoughts on the "final frontier" and the rapidly advancing technology which is taking place.       

 

However I wonder if at some stage the astronomical (no pun intended) sums of money being spent on space travel & research are going to be seriously questioned - not just by poor  third-world  countries, but also by ordinary people around the world who simply wonder why similar amounts of money isn't being found to help humanity cope with the catastrophic effects of worsening climate change  here on Earth.  Or to improve basic services like housing & transport and reduce pollution.    

 

In other words, a tipping point in public opinion.    Is there any sign currently of this starting to happen in the U.S.  ?   They're the biggest spenders on space, yet the human cost (flood, drought, tornado, 40C temperatures etc) is rising in terms of victims, property and usable land. 

 

The bottom line is that  no adult  alive today is ever going to benefit from this enormous spending on space, other than perhaps scientific/medical  improvements resulting from  stuff found on the moon or Mars etc.  They won't be the frontiers folk colonising another planet. 

 

The looming possibility that huge areas on Earth will be truly fecked & uninhabitable by the end of this century (after we're all dead, thankfully)   is beyond alarming.    

 

 

[JFK-1]

38 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

I enjoy reading your musings & thoughts on the "final frontier" and the rapidly advancing technology which is taking place.       

 

However I wonder if at some stage the astronomical (no pun intended) sums of money being spent on space travel & research are going to be seriously questioned - not just by poor  third-world  countries, but also by ordinary people around the world who simply wonder why similar amounts of money isn't being found to help humanity cope with the catastrophic effects of worsening climate change  here on Earth.  Or to improve basic services like housing & transport and reduce pollution.    

 

In other words, a tipping point in public opinion.    Is there any sign currently of this starting to happen in the U.S.  ?   They're the biggest spenders on space, yet the human cost (flood, drought, tornado, 40C temperatures etc) is rising in terms of victims, property and usable land. 

 

The bottom line is that  no adult  alive today is ever going to benefit from this enormous spending on space, other than perhaps scientific/medical  improvements resulting from  stuff found on the moon or Mars etc.  They won't be the frontiers folk colonising another planet. 

 

The looming possibility that huge areas on Earth will be truly fecked & uninhabitable by the end of this century (after we're all dead, thankfully)   is beyond alarming.    

 

 

 

Some people will always complain about how money is spent, and probably rightly so at least some of the time. But I don't think it will have an effect on moon colonisation despite the cost. NASA already spend 7 billion a year on human spaceflight, but what that in comparison to the 700 billion military budget? A mere 1%

 

Plus I suspect it will become relatively cheaper as the rocket technology improves, reusable rockets is a game changer.

[Unknown user]

51 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

I enjoy reading your musings & thoughts on the "final frontier" and the rapidly advancing technology which is taking place.       

 

However I wonder if at some stage the astronomical (no pun intended) sums of money being spent on space travel & research are going to be seriously questioned - not just by poor  third-world  countries, but also by ordinary people around the world who simply wonder why similar amounts of money isn't being found to help humanity cope with the catastrophic effects of worsening climate change  here on Earth.  Or to improve basic services like housing & transport and reduce pollution.    

 

In other words, a tipping point in public opinion.    Is there any sign currently of this starting to happen in the U.S.  ?   They're the biggest spenders on space, yet the human cost (flood, drought, tornado, 40C temperatures etc) is rising in terms of victims, property and usable land. 

 

The bottom line is that  no adult  alive today is ever going to benefit from this enormous spending on space, other than perhaps scientific/medical  improvements resulting from  stuff found on the moon or Mars etc.  They won't be the frontiers folk colonising another planet. 

 

The looming possibility that huge areas on Earth will be truly fecked & uninhabitable by the end of this century (after we're all dead, thankfully)   is beyond alarming.    

 

 

 

This is my biggest problem with space, that so many of the best and brightest are looking upwards while our problems down here escalate.

As Bill Hicks said, couldn't we use that technology to shoot food at hungry people?

[Gizmo]

47 minutes ago, Lone Striker said:

I enjoy reading your musings & thoughts on the "final frontier" and the rapidly advancing technology which is taking place.       

 

However I wonder if at some stage the astronomical (no pun intended) sums of money being spent on space travel & research are going to be seriously questioned - not just by poor  third-world  countries, but also by ordinary people around the world who simply wonder why similar amounts of money isn't being found to help humanity cope with the catastrophic effects of worsening climate change  here on Earth.  Or to improve basic services like housing & transport and reduce pollution.    

 

In other words, a tipping point in public opinion.    Is there any sign currently of this starting to happen in the U.S.  ?   They're the biggest spenders on space, yet the human cost (flood, drought, tornado, 40C temperatures etc) is rising in terms of victims, property and usable land. 

 

The bottom line is that  no adult  alive today is ever going to benefit from this enormous spending on space, other than perhaps scientific/medical  improvements resulting from  stuff found on the moon or Mars etc.  They won't be the frontiers folk colonising another planet. 

 

The looming possibility that huge areas on Earth will be truly fecked & uninhabitable by the end of this century (after we're all dead, thankfully)   is beyond alarming.    

 

We all benefited from many Gemini and Apollo developments, so I doubt that this will be true. The ISS has already provided benefits.