July 30, 20205 yr I understand all that Alan. I spent over 30 years working with, and helping to develop, many of the benefits of the space program (AT&T/Bell Labs). But most of those developments came in a very different time, both economically and socially. There have been many contrasts in my life that have shaped my thoughts. I grew up raised by a single mother in a three room house on a dirt road. And I was also at the Cape when Apollo 13 was launched. There are long stories behind both of those extremes but suffice it to say I've been there and done that and there is not much that will change my view of what our priorities should be in these times. Maybe we can do both,i.e., provide for our people and explore the wonders of the universe. I sure hope so but it just doesn't look like we have the will to do that right now......Doug Edited July 30, 20205 yr by W2DR kant spel Intel 10700K @ 5.1Ghz, Asus Hero Maximus motherboard, Noctua NH-U12A cooler, Corsair Vengeance Pro 32GB 3200 MHz RAM, RTX 2060 Super GPU, Cooler Master HAF 932 Tower, Thermaltake 1000W Toughpower PSU, Windows 10 Professional 64-Bit, 100TB of disk storage. Klaatu barada nickto.
July 30, 20205 yr Hard to believe, but the last time a man walked on the moon was almost 50 years ago. And he went there in basically a large tin can with retro rockets. As we know, the average cell phone today has many times the computing power than the one on the moon lander. And if it were not for the piloting skills of Neil Armstrong, the program might have ended right then and there... Now, the next manned trip is scheduled for 2024. Just to put it in prospective, we went from the Wright brothers wooden plane to supersonic jets in that time frame. I'm thinking, how many billions of dollars is this trip going to cost? Mining asteroids and bringing the ore back to Earth? Ha Hah...
July 30, 20205 yr NASA's latest budget estimate (Feb. 2020) is an additional $USD 34 billion over the next four years. But, since there has never been any NASA project that completed on budget the cost will, undoubtedly, be higher. R&D program budgets are often "low balled" in order to get an initial approval knowing that additional monies will follow once the hook is set...........Doug Intel 10700K @ 5.1Ghz, Asus Hero Maximus motherboard, Noctua NH-U12A cooler, Corsair Vengeance Pro 32GB 3200 MHz RAM, RTX 2060 Super GPU, Cooler Master HAF 932 Tower, Thermaltake 1000W Toughpower PSU, Windows 10 Professional 64-Bit, 100TB of disk storage. Klaatu barada nickto.
July 31, 20205 yr Author 22 hours ago, W2DR said: I work two or three days a week at our local food bank and my annual donation to them is a whole lot more than my ISP fees. I know what poverty feels like...I've been there. Maybe that's why I understand a bit more than most folks about the problem......Doug That`s great! I admire people who volunteer. Keep in mind that english is my third language, eh?! And I`m not very good at it. The good scientists at JPL are also great people who are involved locally in their communities when they`re not busy making corrections to the machines they are guiding to other worlds. I think one of the great mysteries about our condition in the universe is that the farther we look; the closer we see ourselves. The benefits of Martian exploration will never trickle down soon enough to tangibly alleviate poverty here on Earth. But it's inspiring young people to boldly take big risks and change the way we see ourselves in the bigger picture. If Perseverance and Ingenuity prove the past existence of life in Jezero Crater, that will be a game changer. I`m not certain about the numbers where you are but in my country, each person on average throws away 1/3 of the food products purchased. We certainly can improve the redistribution of basic necessities. I've been poor also; being physically and mentally scarred by too much inhumanity. I don't like to talk about it, so you will have to forgive me. All the best to you! Edited July 31, 20205 yr by CYXR
July 31, 20205 yr 2 hours ago, CYXR said: The benefits of Martian exploration will never trickle down soon enough to tangibly alleviate poverty here on Earth. Not soon enough for now, but perhaps the next generation or within 50 years, maybe? Oh, and you're forgiven, CYXR! We should be able to be as private as we want on a public forum... or indeed as open as we want...... as long as such openness doesn't contravene AVSIM, or public decency requirements Mark Robinson Part-time Ferroequinologist Author of FLIGHT: A near-future short story (ebook available on amazon) I made the baby cry - A2A Simulations L-049 Constellation Sky Simulations MD-11 V2.2 Pilot. The best "lite" MD-11 money can buy (well, it's not freeware!)
July 31, 20205 yr 9 hours ago, CYXR said: I've been poor also; being physically and mentally scarred by too much inhumanity. I don't like to talk about it, so you will have to forgive me. Il n'y a rien à pardonner. Nous avons beaucoup en commun. Merci beaucoup de m'avoir fait savoir que je ne suis pas seul dans mes sentiments...........Doug Intel 10700K @ 5.1Ghz, Asus Hero Maximus motherboard, Noctua NH-U12A cooler, Corsair Vengeance Pro 32GB 3200 MHz RAM, RTX 2060 Super GPU, Cooler Master HAF 932 Tower, Thermaltake 1000W Toughpower PSU, Windows 10 Professional 64-Bit, 100TB of disk storage. Klaatu barada nickto.
August 1, 20205 yr It is actually very refreshing that 2.7 billion USD was spent on this rover, all the social programs in the US (not counting the social security benefits) cost roughy as much as 1500 of those rovers. Thank you NASA for at least giving us something that is worth the money. Edited August 1, 20205 yr by michal Michael J.
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