whats the use of going to moon or mars?why not spend that money on humanitarian matter on earth?

Answer 1

And this is why we haven't been back to the moon!

Answer 2

As far as spending money to treat the world's ills. Space money is drop in the bucket compared to food, military spending and interest on financing payments.

Some problems money can not solve. Middle east hate is not because there is not enough money. Throwing a 16 billion dollar NASA budget worth of money won't stop violence against women.

You cannot fix everything by ignoring your future. That would be like not developing airplanes until the car is perfected.

If your ancestors had never left Europe or Asia, our modern country would not exist.

millions for human beings would not have lived and the best aspects of modern civilization would never have been born.

Crowded European cities were the incentive to create a new land away from Old World. The world was made much better through the exploitation of the New World.

Space exploration promises similar benefits.

Sooner rather than later, raw metals will be too expensive to dig from the earth and asteroid mining will be an economically and environmentally desirable alternative.

New technologies designed to allow people to live in space will help advance the human condition.

The alternative is to take a shortsighted and evolutionary blind alley.

The universe is huge and wondrous and intriguing and mysterious and full of wealth.

Good thing our cave dwelling ancestors were explorers.
Otherwise we would still be prey for Sabre Tooth cats.

Answer 3

Slowly but surely (maybe not so slowly anymore) we are depleting The Earth's natural resources and wrecking havoc in our environment. Some may argue that this is the price to pay for the evolution and growth of the human race. While we can take conscious measures to help slow down the erosion of our natural resources, it is a matter of time before we will outgrow the capabilities of our planet to regenerate it's resources in order to sustain human (and all) life. It is in the best interest of humanity to research outer space and other planets if human life is to be continued sometime in the future. While people may argue that we could use those billions of dollars for humanitarian purposes in the here and now, looking at the big picture that money is better spent as an investment in the future of the human race. Humanity's survival depends on our current space research.

Answer 4

This question has been asked repeatedly since the beginning of the space age. However, I find it a rather simple minded question.

One might think that the money that has been spent on the space program was previously being used for humanitarian purposes and got diverted to the space program, but that is not the case.

There are so many things that we spend money on that could go to humanitarian programs (i.e. the military, buying vehicles that are too big for our needs, silly forms of entertainment, gambling, the list goes on and on), so why is the space program singled out in this regard? It is really non-sensical.

Besides, there is no reason why we cannot spend money and resources on both the space program and humanitarian projects. It has never been a lack of resources that keeps us from addressing humanitarian needs, but a lack of public and political will.

As for the space program itself: it has benefitted humanity in so many ways it is not funny. The technological spin-offs from space exploration are too numerous to list but include such things as: air quality monitors; virtual reality; enriched baby food; water purification systems; scratch resistant eyeglass lenses; athletic shoes; solar energy; fire resistant materials; breast cancer detection; fire fighter's air tanks; better brakes for automobiles; and many, many more. The technologies developed to address the obstacles to space exploration are applicable to many other aspects of life and have been filtering through society for 40 years. You have space related technology in your home, office, car, hospital and stores. It makes your life simpler, easier, better and healthier.

Earth currently has more than 6 billion people and there is no sign that this population will stop rising any time soon. Already we are seeing massive global effects of human resource depletion, pollution and encroachment on wild habitats. This will continue. How much can the Earth endure and continue to support us? No one knows.

Earth also faces threats that have nothing to do with human actions, that could pose a danger to our continued survival. Whether a large asteroid strike does to us what it did to the dinosaurs or a massive volcano eliminates half of humanity (events with this potential have occured in the history of the planet) we have all our eggs in one basket.

Humanity needs to eventually find other places to live and expand into. We won't do this overnight, it will take generations of developing our ability to move into space and survive its extreme environments before we are able to colonize even the closest possible extra-terrestrial homes. If we don't continue to develop this ability, it will not exist when we need it.

One final thought about the benefits of space exploration. Humanity is an exploring animal, it is hardwired into our genes. When we finish exploring the Earth we will need to keep going. If not, we go backwards. There is no staying still.

Answer 5

A good friend of mine once convinced me of a very true natural law: All things are either in the process of contracting or expanding. Nothing is ever static, or at least static for long. This applies to everything, but particularly living things and systems of living things. As for humanity, I choose expansion over contraction any day of the week. Given that the Earth is a finite resource, then expansion means we will ultimately have to leave and start spreading out across the galaxy. I highly recommend the book "Entering Space" by Dr Robert Zubrin, PhD for a nuts and bolts down to Earth engineering discussion of how and why we will be needing to expand across the solar system, and then to other star systems and beyond. There will come a time when it will be undesirable to live on Earth. Too much gravity, too hot, too many diseases and mosquitos, too little natural resources (all used up, of course). I look forward to the day when humanity vacates the Earth and then leaves it to continue on its natural journey. People would only be allowed to visit for research purposes, and maybe a few vacationers might be tolerated, but otherwise just leave it alone!! We have done enough damage to the Earth already.

Answer 6

NASA's budget for the 2006 fiscal year is ridiculously small (about 1% or less of total government spending, compare that to almost 30% to the military). Please leave your bleeding hearts at home...

The truth is, space exploration is a necessary and important part of government spending... It is probably one of the only good things that government actually spends its money on, along with barely any border patrol, police forces, and so forth...

Do not talk about things you have no idea about... a 17-20 billion dollar budget may sound like a lot but when you consider the US has about a 2-3 trillion dollar budget total... its small potatoes...

Only the uneducated and unimaginitive think the space program is a waste, and you people are what's wrong with this world.

Answer 7

A conscientious question. To certain extents, probing the universe and studying its traits is important for developing defense programs against likely metiorite collisions, which has long been proven a real and most fatal danger. This is chiefly why it's important, but no further. Humanitarian necessities here on earth are just as alarming and demanding of such expenses.

Answer 8

Well the thing is that human beings are always trying to broaden their horizons.

The truth is that NASA funding has been cut back since the war started. I agree that if we are gonna spend money it should be to better our world rather than discovering others. However the money we have is being spent to better ourselves in the war. I think its a waste.

However, I do believe that we need to be able to land on mars and/or the moon because if ever the world was going to blow up we need another place to go.

Answer 9

What you need to overstand is that those that have sought world domination have done it at the expense of destroying our most precious resources. So now there is entropy on this planet because of excessive Carcinogens and other bio-hazards that are by-products of nuclear and industrial waste. The Elite Imperialists of this planet are preparing bio-spheres (living quarters) on the Moon, Mars and other planets to reside on while we continue to be expendible pawns (e.g. US Soldiers in Iraq). These Imperialists are of the Luciferian Order. The 'key' to the bottomless pit is nuclear warfare (e.g. Smart Bomb which on impact onto the earth's crust, has the potential to dig another hole 2 miles deep and then explode again. Look around at all of the leaders around this planet; they are destructive men. Do not expect humanitarian things on this planet to take place unless women seek to rule it. Their nature is one that is nurturing and non-destructive. Bombshell: The Key to survival of Mother 'Earth' is 'THE' Woman.

Answer 10

what like giving money away to africa, i would rather learn about space then TRY and save some people in africa. Place is a lost continent. Mars has at LEAST the opportunity to advance man, wasting money and time with humanitarian aid is exactly that, a waste. Plus we need soemthing, disease, aids, hunger, etc. to control the human population growth.

Answer 11

if you want humanity to survive as a species, you have to make extraterrestial colonies... and the most obvious choices are the moon because it's close and mars because it's "easily" terraformable...

BUT : it won't change a thing on what's going on on earth : the 5 billion people on earth WILL stay on earth (only a hundred or so will go there and make babies to populate it)

however, if you want humanity to survive, then you have to prepare for a possible world wide desaster and populate other planets. (and make them completely self sufficient)
And if you want humanity to survive the death of our star (in a few billion years), then you have to populate other star systems...


Other possible reason to go there : some people think there is a possibility of triangular commerce between earth, mars and mining colonies on the asteroid belt just behind mars. But it's still far off.