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**Arkadiyas** · 02-03-2010, 11:00 PM

They need to start addressing the many problems down here on earth.

Sending that ridiculous space shuttle up in space can wait!

There is no tactful way of saying this... but that is idiotic. There will ALWAYS be problems in Earth. No amount of MONEY will fix problems here. At least money in space returns KNOWLEDGE - which is always useful.

Spending money on space is INVESTING in the future. Forget the hi tech jobs created, the research spawned, the usable products created, etc.

America was founded on the idea of progress. Its written right into our constitution. If we don't take the chances required to move into the future - it will pass us by. This is not hubris - this is history.

China used to be the research and engineering powerhouse of the world. 600 years ago at its height, it created a fleet of ships to sail the world, explore, and trade - not for the sake of immediate financial return, but for knowledge and expanding China's horizons. A space program for the ancient world.

30 years later a new Emperor came - and decided there was nothing worthwhile outside of China worth learning - whats more - China had problems closer to home. The huge fleet was left to rot in the harbor.

It fell to Europe to explore and push the boundaries - Europe: backwards, barbarian, inferior by any measurable quality except perhaps in their eagerness to get ahead. And they did - so much so that even mighty China was humiliated centuries later, as even the most minor naval powers of Europe could command their seas and shores with ease.

Space is already a strategic high ground - to give up any aspect of superiority there is to repeat the mistakes of the past. But we will reap the consequences this time in decades - not centuries.

02-03-2010, 11:00 PM	#5
Arkadiyas Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 692 Senior Member	They need to start addressing the many problems down here on earth. Sending that ridiculous space shuttle up in space can wait! There is no tactful way of saying this... but that is idiotic. There will ALWAYS be problems in Earth. No amount of MONEY will fix problems here. At least money in space returns KNOWLEDGE - which is always useful. Spending money on space is INVESTING in the future. Forget the hi tech jobs created, the research spawned, the usable products created, etc. America was founded on the idea of progress. Its written right into our constitution. If we don't take the chances required to move into the future - it will pass us by. This is not hubris - this is history. China used to be the research and engineering powerhouse of the world. 600 years ago at its height, it created a fleet of ships to sail the world, explore, and trade - not for the sake of immediate financial return, but for knowledge and expanding China's horizons. A space program for the ancient world. 30 years later a new Emperor came - and decided there was nothing worthwhile outside of China worth learning - whats more - China had problems closer to home. The huge fleet was left to rot in the harbor. It fell to Europe to explore and push the boundaries - Europe: backwards, barbarian, inferior by any measurable quality except perhaps in their eagerness to get ahead. And they did - so much so that even mighty China was humiliated centuries later, as even the most minor naval powers of Europe could command their seas and shores with ease. Space is already a strategic high ground - to give up any aspect of superiority there is to repeat the mistakes of the past. But we will reap the consequences this time in decades - not centuries.
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