I just took lunch at Space Center Houston and watched their "Human Destiny" movie. Every time I see the JFK snippet of "We choose to go to the moon . . ." I still get shivers. Perhaps very few of us remember the words prefacing it. They illustrate the irony which history often shows us, in this age of "Space Force":
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We set sail on this new sea because there is new knowledge to be gained, and new rights to be won, and they must be won and used for the progress of all people. For space science, like nuclear science and all technology, has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man, and only if the United States occupies a position of pre-eminence can we help decide whether this new ocean will be a sea of peace or a new terrifying theater of war. I do not say that we should or will go unprotected against the hostile misuse of space any more than we go unprotected against the hostile use of land or sea, but I do say that space can be explored and mastered without feeding the fires of war, without repeating the mistakes that man has made in extending his writ around this globe of ours. There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again.
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Bet that was a cool place to visit.
The last crewed mission to the Moon was Apollo 17, taking place between 7 and 19 December 1972
It amazes me over half a century later that humankind hasn’t been back to the moon since.
I wonder if all the original astronauts will be dead before the next landing.
Zealandia
Level 8
May 17, 2024
1
First we have to get elected officials that know science is real.
silverotter11
Level 9
May 16, 2024
5
It’s unfortunate Musk is so incompetent. I was looking forward to shipping some of those nutters to Mars…..
More like “Space Farce”……given the logistical nightmares of space travel.
Our resources would be better spent here on earth, fact…..
Aaron70
Level 8
May 15, 2024
0
Nevermind the fact that a lot of supposedly non-human research actually helps our species. I would also add that too much emphasis on 'humans' has created a nightmare scenario for non-human species and our species as well.
@pedigojr What does your statement even mean…..
Trillions upon trillions has been wasted on space exploration, for WHAT?!!
Tell me when you perceive we will see a return on that investment.
It’s been over 50 years since Apollo 11 “lucked” out on a moon landing, and we can’t even get back there.
Space exploration is a farce, and a serious waste of our resources!
@Aaron70 Of course some may not understand how much we already focus on the most destructive and invasive species on this planet. Any form of science research has both good and bad implications. Being nearsighted toward the sciences only adds to our already overblown conspiracies. [nasa.gov]
@pedigojr For over 50 years I’ve been watching our government waste quadrillions sending rockets into the air, while millions go hungry and without healthcare, for what?! So people like you can get off on it, that’s what….
Imply I’m short sighted all you want when it comes to science. You haven’t a clue of my education or science background, so you can assume as you wish.
Fact is every penny spent sending rockets into the sky would be better spent elsewhere.
Fuck the space program, we can’t even get shit right in our own backyard…
The truth is, blaming space exploration for problems on earth or saying the money is wasted is ignoring the other places from which the money should come. Did you know the income tax on the highest bracket has gone down 50% from 1950 (https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/IITTRHB)? This doesn't include capital gains which is often the largest source of wealth of the super rich (including stocks, bonds, commodities and real estate). It's currently at 21%, down from 26% circa 1950 (https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/expert-insights/whole-ball-of-tax-historical-capital-gains-rates). But the working never gets capital gains. So many of the super rich who get money from real estate and the stock market (hedge funds, etc) actually don't pay the highest income tax rate (37%) but actually 21%. And for those of you flat raters out there, taking 15% from someone making minimum wage ( federal min wage = 7.25/hr) is 2,262 - meaning instead of trying to live on 15,080 you now have only 12,818. But for someone making 1,000,000 it's 15,000 and they have 985,000 left. 15% means more the less you make. And the highest income tax bracket starts at $609,351 (nerd wallet) Which means their take home is 383,891. I would be ecstatic to bring home that much. The lowest bracket stops at $11,600 and is 10% (nerdwallet), so the richest of the poor take home 10,440. This is for single and leaves out credits, loopholes, etc but it points to the ridiculousness of saying space science as being a culprit for anything. Also, in 2023 the US spent 877,000,000,000 in defense spending. More than China, Russia, India, Saudi Arabia, The U K, Germany, France, South Korea, Japan and the Ukraine COMBINED (849,000,000,000)! NASA's budget for 2024 was 25,838,000,000 (pdf downloaded from [nasa.gov]. That's approximately $851 billion more on the military. And space is being privatized as we speak. Also, space science has made huge breakthroughs in Meteorology, Navigation, Communications and many more. Ever stream a movie? The signal is probably bouncing off satellites. Ever use GPS or Google maps? Satellites again. (all - [britannica.com]. Check a forecast? There are probably 100 technologies most people use daily that started with space science. And there are those of us who feel it is our destiny. So yes, make good use of public money - tax capital gains at a higher rate, increase taxes on the super rich, or even reduce defense spending. Space is a pittance compared to it. But if you use the Internet or a maps app or GPS or check the weather and complain about space spending, then you are being a hypocrite. And I don't think it was ever close to even 1 quadrillion. 
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