DescentBB

Congrats NASA! http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/space/03/0 ... index.html

Mission accomplished: NASA scientists say the Mars rovers have found what they were looking for -- hard evidence that the red planet was once "soaking wet."

Yup. Nice to finally know for sure what we've suspected for so long is true.

Next I predict the discovery of liquid water. And then life. Additional prediction: it'll have DNA - identical, or almost, to the DNA found on Earth.

And next, Mobius will be found dead from smoking too much crack.

Surf's up!

Surprise, surprise...evidence for water was found1 Tell me...how did they think all those erosional gullies were formed? Gerbils in heat chasing one another around?

Lol yeah really.

Liquid water you think Mobi? I highly doubt there will be any on the surface, there may be some underground. However, it will take us a long time before we can get far enough underground. That's why we need cavers s'why I need to go to Mars

We should send the prisoners to Mars to go to the mines and do slave work.... Oops! Descent!

It was evidence pointing to the existance of water, not proof of it's existance. Keep that in mind.

Wooooo! Water WAS on mars! Now what has this accomplished on earth... where all those millions of dollars spent on the mission could have fed hundreds of thousands of starving kids... Oh well. I guess I take solace in the fact that there was water on mars millions of years ago. Even the snowball's chance in hell that it might help benefit the future of mankind hundreds of years from now is reassuring... or something.

Our prioritites suck.

...where all those millions of dollars spent on the mission could have fed hundreds of thousands of starving kids...

We have already spent trillions of dollars on starving kids (e.g. the "great society") with nothing to show for it. At least the millions spent on Mars will eventually give us a bag of rocks in return.

So? Spend another 800 million. I value the life of one child over the entire future of the space program.

I'll bet 1:1 odds that liquid water is found on the surface of Mars (and by "surface" I mean within 3 inches of the actual surface) any time now. Maybe even on this mission.

I value the life of one child over the entire future of the space program

While I agree that EVERY child is important, remember the one truth, the sun will burn out. We must push forward in learning about space travel and inhospitable planets which will help our species live without sunlight, and everything that depends on sunlight. I agree this won't happen for a LONG time, but it will happen. And it would be terrible if when it does, we hadn't started to learn how to live out there.

StingRay - what does your statement actually mean?

I take it you aren't a supporter of any kind of space program? Well, you should go live in a cave, because most of the possessions you now own will have been influenced, or created in direct consequence of investment in space.

What most people don't realise is some hard facts of life: Every dollar invested in NASA returns seven dollars to the US economy. The problem is that those $7 can take up to 20 years to get back. Despite this, it's a GREAT investment for the USA (or any country in fact).

People who propose spending money on starving children should note: no political will exists to do so. Giving money to NASA takes not a SINGLE DOLLAR from any starving individual. If the political will existed to wipe out poverty, it would no longer exist, Simple.

If you want to ★■◆● and moan about money being spent, why not ★■◆● and moan about your country's expenditure on the Military. FY 2004-2005 is budgeted at $422 BILLION dollars. And that doesn't include the (probable) $100 Billion in the Black Budget.

Compare to NASA: 16.2 Billion.

I think you are barking up the wrong tree my friend.

A ★■◆● is a female dog for God's sake.

This Board is a horse's ass!

I support the space program 115%. I am fascinated by the unknown... however I believe that in times of recession and depression (assume for arguments sake that we're only talking about the United States) our money should be used to support the economy and the people of the nation. Space travel is a novel goal, and one I hope we attain really soon... however, until we can support ourselves on earth, we should keep the homeland a top notch priority for spending. The more money you put back in to the economy, the more funding you will receive once the business world takes flight again.

You understand my rhetoric now? I was halfway metaphorical in my other post if you didn't catch it.

Why are you always such a bitch when it comes to things like this mobi? You swear you're captain intelligent.

Sting_Ray wrote:where all those millions of dollars spent on the mission could have fed hundreds of thousands of starving kids...

Since when do you care about others?

Buef wrote:While I agree that EVERY child is important, remember the one truth, the sun will burn out. We must push forward in learning about space travel and inhospitable planets which will help our species live without sunlight, and everything that depends on sunlight. I agree this won't happen for a LONG time, but it will happen. And it would be terrible if when it does, we hadn't started to learn how to live out there.

since sun burns out in a couple of dozens of million years (?) (very long time indeed), we should rather focus on coming along with each other on earth first and solving our problems. call me a nerd, but mankind would do much better if it'd get to a state of mentality like in star trek, since money is the main factor that keeps us from advancing. but that's another story.

Agreed Floyd, but I was just expressing how important the space program was....not that it should be our #1 priority....

I'd rather go to Mars. People suck anyway. =p

i was all into mars before it was cool.

Mobius wrote:Giving money to NASA takes not a SINGLE DOLLAR from any starving individual. If the political will existed to wipe out poverty, it would no longer exist, Simple.

I disagree. It's a matter of balance. The more money the government puts into "starving children", the more parents are not going to worry about their children starving and the more money it'll need.

If the government put all of its money into helping the needy, there would probably still be more than it could handle.

If the government stopped giving money to starving children altogether, that'd also be a bad thing. You'd probably have more starving children deaths. Some people just have bad luck and need help. But the more help that's offered, the more lazy the other people will be.

So it's a matter of finding a balance so that you help as many of the people who really need it without drawing out too many freeloaders.

No matter what the political will, poverty will always exist unless our economy changes in such a way so as to ensure that everyone works hard and everyone gets what they need to survive.

the sun will burn out.

I don't think we really have to worry about that, I'd say we have a few closer doomsdays on the agenda (nuclear holocaust, Earth overpopulation, resources dissappearing) that we need to get off the planet for.

So just where are all these starving american children at?

America.

Suncho wrote:

Mobius wrote:Giving money to NASA takes not a SINGLE DOLLAR from any starving individual. If the political will existed to wipe out poverty, it would no longer exist, Simple.

If the government stopped giving money to starving children altogether, that'd also be a bad thing. You'd probably have more starving children deaths.

^^^
this is called controlling the population is all

woodchip wrote:So just where are all these starving american children at?

Umm ever been to philly, or LA, or NYC

take a look down any back ally road...if you don't see them get your eye's checked bro

Sting_Ray wrote:I support the space program 115%. I am fascinated by the unknown... however I believe that in times of recession and depression our money should be used to support the economy and the people of the nation.

Believe it or not, dumping money in NASA actually accomplishes some of that.

With respect to feeding people - Earth already makes enough food to feed everyone on the planet. It's other problems that get in the way. I suppose money <i>could</i> solve them, but it's not the only solution.

Zer0Cool wrote:

woodchip wrote:So just where are all these starving american children at?

Umm ever been to philly, or LA, or NYC

take a look down any back ally road...if you don't see them get your eye's checked bro

Ya right. Soup kitchens up the wazoo and there are kids starving? Maybe you need to take a look at real starvation. Besides...if these little bastage american kids would go out and work, maybe they wouldn't "starve".

uhh, hello. there's a world with living human beings beyond america. oooohh yes.
part of it is the so called third world, brought to poorness by "civilizing" them by the western world.
but i don't want to start a subtopic here, just wanted to point that out ...