5 minutes ago, dmwalker said:

A good, old fashioned space race just like the one which got us to the moon.

 

Well, we have been in one for a few years now to be honest. 

1 minute ago, martin-w said:

I'm 64 though. Are you saying that's young. I may give you a cat point if you say yes. And an extra point for mentioning my favourite science fiction show.

Yes, and I really mean it, too. 

5 minutes ago, birdguy said:

So that's it.  We are in an arms race with China right now.  We are going to extend that arms race to the Moon and to Mars.  I'm glad I won't be around to see it.

Noel

 

Not exactly an arms race. Unless you could throw a mars habitat ant somebody and do damage. 

1 minute ago, martin-w said:

Well, we have been in one for a few years now to be honest. 

Yes, but China is providing us with the necessary Sputnik moment which gets us out of first gear.

Just now, dmwalker said:

Yes, and I really mean it, too. 

 

😸 X1

And a special cat award for mentioned The expanse. 

SA X1 😻 

7 minutes ago, martin-w said:

I'm 64 though. Are you saying that's young. I may give you a cat point if you say yes. And an extra point for mentioning my favourite science fiction show.

Yes.  At 64 I was still doing all the things I can't do anymore.  Fly fishing, hiking, running a mile a day, working at the wildlife refuge taking bird pictures, having sex.  I can't do any of that anymore

Noel

Edited February 22, 20224 yr by birdguy

Sorry Noel.

Thanks for confirming my "relative" youth but given that you have plunged us into groundhog day again you wont be getting a cat point. 

3 minutes ago, birdguy said:

Yes.  At 64 I was still doing all the things I can't do anymore.

Everything starts to fall apart in the mid 70s.

3 minutes ago, martin-w said:

Thanks for confirming my "relative" youth but given that you have plunged us into groundhog day again you wont be getting a cat point. 

Oh My!  And I was so looking forward to a cat point.  

Noel

20 minutes ago, birdguy said:

Fly fishing, hiking, running a mile a day, working at the wildlife refuge taking bird pictures, having sex.  I can't do any of that anymore

Oh No! Not the bird pictures!

Edited February 22, 20224 yr by dmwalker

2 hours ago, birdguy said:

If we put it to a national vote on spending money and effort to go to Mars or to repairing Earth what do you think the results would be?

We would vote to fix earth.

Then absolutely nothing would happen as it was held up in various court battles and other all-to-familiar intransigence, effectively forever.

1 hour ago, birdguy said:

One billionaire whose net worth is 233 billion dollars wants to put a colony on Mars.  His 233 billion doesn't even come close to even starting a colony.  As far as I can see the colony isn't even going to give a return on his money unless they can find things on Mars to bring back to earth and sell.

So when his money runs out who's left to pay the tab?

Noel

Maybe if you put aside your personal views of Elon for a minute you could get a better idea of how exactly he is going about it. On the funding side SpaceX was created to be self-funding through commercial and military satellite launches, contracts with NASA for astronaut launches to the ISS and future space stations, and Starlink, among other potential ideas. He isn't trying to do this by relying purely on public money and taking your tax money, in large part to avoid pushback like yours. On the other hand, your US Congress has saddled NASA with so many ridiculous changes in directions and restrictions in their plans to return to the moon, that they haven't even launched their rocket yet.

As for helping the less fortunate, maybe you've heard of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and their philanthropic efforts? So in essence the wealthy are both helping people here as well as working Mars colonization.

 

1 hour ago, goates said:

So in essence the wealthy are both helping people here as well as working Mars colonization.

Are Bill Gates and Warren Buffett contributing to the Mars colony?  I hadn't heard that.

Noel

15 minutes ago, birdguy said:

Are Bill Gates and Warren Buffett contributing to the Mars colony?  I hadn't heard that.

No, Bill Gates is focused primarily at problems here on Earth.

https://wraltechwire.com/2021/12/13/bill-gates-no-space-for-me-earth-is-my-total-focus/

My point was while Mr. Musk is working towards a Mars colony, Mr. Gates is working on improving things here. Again, it is possible to do both.

But in my opinion, it is not wise to do both. Inflation is running wild, the U.S. stock market today officially entered into official correction territory. This is the time for conserving finances and circling the wagons, and stopping with all this expensive spending and stimulating. They are doing it now wildly with borrowed money that we presently do not have. These kinds of booms always end in a crash. It has not failed once in history. From 1870 to 1890 almost a continual depression. 1929 a shorter 10 year one started.

The government should not now build nor repair anything that is not absolutely critical. Not spend a single dime unless they must.

Better days are coming, wait a few years to be extravagant once again. Better days will follow the probable coming recession. At that time we can spend and invest in new ideas (you know what I mean, when we actually have most of the money to do it and only need to borrow a little bit).