Losing Our Way to the "Final Frontier"

find oil on Mars

...and prevent it leaking.....

Don't think we will have to worry about the well head being 5000 ft under water.

I think Bill Whittle provides excellent answers your questions, and gives us inspiration for the future of space travel. Bill's video blog is linked below. It follows a brief intro (mildly political) about registering for PJTV, but that's not required to view his video. This guy is great!

http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=56&load=3898

You have to take into consideration that the US and USSR were in a "cold war" back in the 50's and 60's and beyond, and "one upmanship" was their favorite ways of fighting that "cold war."

Once we showed each other each country's capabilities, there no longer was a need to spend money that neither country could really afford, so things slowed down.

Burt Rutan has developed a "space plane" which has promise, but who needs it? The Space Shuttle is doomed to be mothballed in the near future, even though the International Space Station is still orbiting and will do so for quite some time. The US is developing its own version of a "space plane," but it's still a few years out. The Russians will probably provide the means to get back and forth to the space station until we either decide to scrap the project or go to Mars. Who knows???

If bleeding heart liberals would let go of the idea that nuclear powered space craft is too dangerous for humans to fly around the cosmos on, we might get somewhere some day.

Long term space flights have promise with technologies like ion propusion, but that won't happen in my lifetime, so keep me informed in the afterlife by sending emails out to the ether -- I'll get it sooner or later.

We have to do it ourselves.

Forget about NASA - they are bankrupt financially, morally, technologically disadvantaged, with no clear vision, or goal of going forward into space ex.

Originally set up as a government prop, NASA fullfilled it's role as a taxpayer's mega million, or megabillion contribution towards the glorious culmination in "Man landing on the Moon's surface"

"To the stars and beyond" (someone quoted this - who was it?)

Oh, yeah,......I just recalled,.....that Lightyear character voiced by Tim Allen

Never Mind - Loupy

There are many of us who think that man never ever landed on the moon- can anyone prove beyond doubt. Common sense says if something accomplished several times, as supposed landings were, would be easier thence- ain't proved to be so. If space race was driving force, & soviet got into space 1st, but not a manned moon landing,but yank claimed to have done it- what a blockbuster!. Many experts have examined supposed moon transmissions-video/audio-all can be explained as terrestrial origin- some say Mojave desert- I tend to believe this. So in answer to op- US never lost way- just never found it yet! And I dare to say-never will!. Whether anyone likes it or not, it is likely to be Chinee who does it!.

I believe this too.

A couple things that give me doubt:

1. The lunar vehicle kicking up sand and falling back to the ground as if there was no difference from driving in sand dunes on Earth.

2. The flag they planted on the moon blowing in the wind.

3. The golf ball flying through the air and landing as if in normal gravity.

Why we didn't go on to Mars? Two words: Vietnam war. The antiwar movement didn't just hurt American foreign policy, it created the expectation that the only correct use of taxpayer funds was social programs.

How to get started again? One word: privatize. Take space out of the political arena and make it independent of taxpayer support. Then QUIETLY "go where no man has gone before."

The simple answer is that manned space travel is difficult...very difficult. And the further out you go the more difficult it becomes. Much more so than science fiction would have us believe. It takes a great deal of purpose and priority to travel in space, allocation of intellectual and financial resources. We had that once, for a few glorious years. I do not see any indication that we will have it again any time soon. -Illya

Most Americans will ask "What's in it for me?" The economy is shot to hell, so unless NASA is going to employ millions of Americans, it's not going to get support.

Personally, I view the current launch system to be very wasteful. In all this time, no improvement has been made in that arena, except by private enterprise.

I don't see any benefit for America in space right now. I would never have even started the Space Station, it's too expensive. It does nothing for America.

It was quietly understood that the Shuttle was taking up military and spy equipment. Americans can understand and support such activities.

Instead of the Hubble looking out into space we will probably never explore, it should have been watching out for enemies planting ied's that kill our soldiers.

I am in favor of weapons in orbit. Treaties are bunk, our enemies will never comply anyway. I want to be able to take out enemies on a moment's notice. We can't trust our Eastern allies to do the job, we have to do it ourselves.

I don't know about millions but NASA at its prime directly employed tens of thousands. http://history.nasa.gov/SP-4012v1.pdf

Add to those numbers the support staff and supply chain employees and you might well be over a million. And most of them would not be of the burger flipper variety.

I can't personally think of a better "make work" project to jump start a stalled economic recovery. The space program would surely be a better place to sink the money than the pork barrel projects the politicians are coming up with now. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravina_Island_Bridge

Wether or not there is an immediate benefit to America is debatable on many levels. Just some international respect for taking the high road might be enough to justify the expense. I've heard discussions of mining iron on Mars that might be profitable within 20 years of startup. Or maybe you guys could invite the rest of us earthlings to come along and help pay the cost.

The late sixties, leading up to Neil armstrong's famous "leap" was the most exciting time in recorded history (IMHO) and the first moon walk our greatest accomplishment. To think that was over 40 years ago and we have done virtually nothing since then is disgraceful.

One of the governments jobs is to lead. All the world governments have failed us when it comes to space exploration its time to let private industry loose and give them a shot at it. Scrap the space treaty which makes it impossible to turn a profit in space because you cannot plant a flag and claim "this asteroid is mine". Let the capatilist explore, if they even suspect there is a dollar to be made they will at least go and try. Many will fail, some will die, but fourty years from now we won't be asking the same question the OP just posted.

I see 2 questions in your post:

1.The why has to be found in the "technology race" between East and West. Not only US><USSR.

2.The how is the credit balloon. If someone has facilities to own what he can't pay for, you end up with this result.

If economics of greed are fed, manufacturing taken down, you lose the power of the people's productivity, which is the most valuable asset of a nation.

After this the dream is over and reality takes over: you start to spend more carefully, but also a lot less. That is what is happening now.

When productivity has been repaired, prosperity can increase again - paradises on/in grave yards do not work.

Oh, I forgot, ...question 3.

The candle can be lit if you find someone to lend you one.

Or when everything goes to a normal level, lower than what we have ever been used to, and we can buy our own candle again.

All extremes are disastrous: socialism, capitalism, communism, e.g. But a healthy mix of these will do.

There are enough "frontiers" right here on Earth to occupy several lifetimes (the oceans being just one), if one wishes. But the real frontier that is ignored by the overwhelming majority of people is human consciousness itself. As a "child of the 60's and 70's" you should be very aware of this frontier.

Maybe you feel confused or disoriented about how to go about exploring this frontier. I would agree that this can be a real jungle. It is like a circus. There are jugglers and other "performers". There is confusing information whereby it seems, none of it can be trusted or true because the information can be conflicting. Can the answer be both yes and no to a question? If frame of reference is taken in to account, the answer is it can be.

Just because the task can seem daunting doesn't mean that this frontier should be ignored. I went on a job interview a few years ago that had been arranged by a friend who had worked with my interviewer -- both at another company. When we met, he recounted how when he first was hired by my friend at the company they both worked at, he had long hair and was "kind of a hippie". At the end of the interview, as we were walking down the hall, he asked if I had any questions. I said, "Yes." He naturally thought I was going to ask something related to our interview or the company. I surprised him by saying, "What happened? Those of us in the 60's generation had such high ideals... we were going to change the world... what happened?" I don't know why but he had no real response. If you are disappointed by lack of space exploration, I can't tell you how disappointed I have been that "our generation" didn't live up to the high ideals we espoused. Inaction is sad, but to actually "join" the very forces that we all railed against is tragic. How did we get to where greed is so in control of our world? As "New Age-y" as it may sound, it's because people have not looked for a higher perspective (or consciousness, if you wish) on life.

Don't lament the neglect of scientific frontiers. Be sad that humankind has ignored the frontier that could lead to real peace on earth and the best life possible on this planet, where we realize we are on a "space boat" sailing on the sea of a great physical void and we had better join together to manage it's resources and care about one another, instead of trying to take control of them at the expense of our brothers and sisters. Take the American Indians for example. Is it not tragic how Europeans came to their home and took it away from them?

Having experienced some of the "inner life", I can truly say this frontier is one that would leave people speechless if they could have a taste of it. Seeking this frontier is grander than any video game/adventure imaginable. (The movie Avatar? Child's play.) Yet people go through their whole life ignorant of it. Now that is a real tragedy.

There is a saying in the Bible"seek & you will find"- this is true. Unfortunately many people thru circumstance belief or whatever never seek. Still, if they are happy with THEIR life, without interfering with anyone else's-so be it. The use of human imagination to posit a better life in a different realm,dimension, or form is not & can never be scientifically proven to be "real". However science proves that humans are dependent on Earth for life, in human physical form- not suitable in any way for space travel or living on any other planet, beyond a short time/distance. SO that is why space travel is futile. When the supposed moon landings were said to have happened, most people were ignorant of the limits of human existence in space-so naturally jumped to conclusions- reality has since entered the picture.