July 21, 2009
I don't like to get off on a rant on our blog. LilSis and I decided to be positive here, since there is so much negativity in the world, and we all need a little break from the stress of everyday life. But I have to let it loose today! The space program is my pet peeve, and if I see one more video of our moon landing 40 years ago I'm going to have a hissy fit.
Let me explain my unpopular opinion. I think the space program is a gigantic race for bragging rights between countries. It's an international ego trip. Who can get to the moon first? Who can get to Mars first? Who can have the biggest and best space station?
I say who gives a flying fig? Do you know how much we spend on the space program? In 1969, the Apollo project cost $25 billion. That's 40 years ago. Now NASA wants to go back to the moon by 2020. Any idea of how much that will cost? President Obama has requested funds of $18.7 billion for NASA in 2010, $3.21 billion of which would go toward manned space exploration. And did you know that the International Space Station is a $100 billion project?
My problem with all this ego spending is this. I bet you a dollar that you know someone who has been impacted by childhood brain cancer, by breast cancer, by Alzheimer's disease, or by Lou Gehrig's disease. What if we took the money we're throwing up into the atmosphere, and throw it at one of these diseases? Do you think we might get a better return on our money? I think we might. I want us to try.
I get that the space program provides a lot of jobs. I get that the space program is a source of national pride. But I say there are better sources of national pride. I'm proud of what our military is doing throughout the world to bring peace, for one thing. And could there be any greater pride than that which would come from our research brainiacs finding a cure for one of these devastating diseases, as opposed to flying all over the galaxies looking for little green men…throwing our valuable mis-spent dollars out the window the whole way?
Do we really think there will come a day when we will need to live on the moon or another planet? Really? What are the odds of that? Contrast that with the odds of getting one of these horrendous diseases. I rest my case. Let's kill the space program now. Please.
~BigSis- Leave a Comment (8)
- Find more in Health, Alzheimer's, space
July 21, 20099:14 am
Yes, I would rather see the money go to curing cancer or something! The moon is well…the moon.
July 21, 20094:57 pm
Thanks for the support, Noble Pig! I just think we might cure and/or prevent some of these diseases if we threw more research money at them.
July 22, 200910:51 am
Hey BigSis…you must have heard me yelling at the TV about that unnecessary spending on the space program…Let’s deal with the people here on earth…and stop cutting programs for children and senior citizens in an attempt to cut costs…while I’m on a rampage, why did the taxpayers have to pay for bank bailouts and huge bonuses for the people that helped cause the financial failures…OK, now that I’ve had my say, I’m going to make brownies and eat some chocolate…
July 22, 20096:38 pm
Hi SisMama, I couldn’t hear you yelling about all of the costs because I was hollering myself. I just wish we could spend all that money on something important! Speaking of important, I wish I had some chocolate. 😉
July 26, 20094:51 pm
if youre so angry that we are spending money on the space program and would rather have it go to fight diseases and stuff wouldnt you rather take money from the war instead? They spend a lot more and if you are interested in making the world a better place stop hating on the most awesome and most technically challenging program in our society today. Nasa might spend millions but we are WASTING trillions on the war!
July 26, 20094:53 pm
A lot of positive research that improves your day to day quality of living, as well as research to help improve general health and safety has come from the space program.
In addition, you’ll find many many scientists, astronauts, etc, who will tell you that this planet will one day not be suitable for life, either because of ourselves or because of some greater external threat, and we will need to escape. I suppose it becomes an issue of the greater good. Yes, in the short term, we are diverting some precious resources away from very important issues, but the long term benefits should totally outweigh these short term costs.
July 26, 20094:54 pm
Wow, this is frightening. The space program is an important scientific project that seeks to understand what is out there. Without a space program, you wouldn’t have satellites, for instance; what then? And going to the moon? What about the possibility of H3 mining on the moon that might help solve an energy crisis? We won’t know unless we go there. Every group of peoples throughout history has had some type of exploratory sense, and now we are in an interesting time: there’s very little left of the globe to uncover. Exploring space is a continuation of our human inheritance to try to uncover what is around the corner and out of our view. We are, as a species, curious. Cutting the space program would be a testament to human (or at least American) indifference to that all important tradition that drove advancements in ALL sectors of science, culture, and understanding.
July 26, 20095:07 pm
R U Serious, Katy and John: Thanks for your comments. I really appreciate you taking the time to express your thoughts. I know that my opinion is not popular, and most people will disagree with me. If we could cut the military budget and still stay safe in the world, I’d be fine with it but I don’t believe that’s possible given current events. Our budget is so far into the negative zone, that cuts need to be made somewhere, and in my opinion the space program is a candidate.
Again, thank you so much for your comments!