Are you against space exploration b/c we could spend the money on solving other problems?

Question

If so, what is your political affiliation? I am asking because I read an article (I won't reveal the publication or the author, in order to minimize potential bias) which associates those who are on the left politically with having this opinion. Please only answer if you are actually against space exploration for this reason, and include your political orientation (for simplicity's sake please categorize yourself as left, right, or center).

um... ok, of the 4 people who've answered so far, only 1 was against space exploration. i am trying to get a feeling for the political bent of people AGAINST space exploration.

Answer 1

Space exploration has provided many incredible advancements and a never-ending supply of learning possibilities. The longer we continue to push the envelop of our physical world, the more advanced we become as a society.

I support space exploration. However, I am tired of funding redundant trips to the International Space Station. We have nearly exhausted what we can accomplish in near-space orbit, and the time has come for us to embark upon longer space expeditions, up to and including missions to our neighboring planets.

Lastly, the budget for NASA pales in comparison to the massive budget for welfare. If we want to find ways to cut spending, we need to investigate ways to put people back to work instead of giving them free money, not by cutting NASA missions because people think it's boring.

I vote middle-right and anti-Democrat.

Answer 2

More and more, people realise that the question itself is loaded. If NASA,s budget was to be cut in half (for whatever reason), there would be no actual money liberated for something else.

Existing funds (research and defense being the two major ones in this case) would simply have a little less of an expense on that account -- and they'd probably make up for the difference by having cost overruns (as they often do) in other projects.

I am in favor of space exploration for reasons that have nothing to do with NASA itself. Whenever we understand the world a little more (space, medecine, economics...), that gives us the power to make things better. It's just that sometimes we do the opposite...

---
PS: There are already many diseases and illnesses that we can cure or where we can reduce the mortality rate easily. We have chosen not to do it because:
1) the people dying are not us,
2) there is not gigantic profit for our industries.

Taking a few dollars away from NASA will certainly not change this attitude. Even if they were diverted to medical research, they would go into research that is just as (or even more) esoteric than space exploration instead of going to saving people.

Answer 3

Conservatives tend to support projects like space exploration IF there are potential commercial applications, either from scientific discoveries or from the mission itself. If it looks like a stunt with no practical payoff, they would be less likely to support it. If there were some political status to be gained from it, they might approve.

Liberals tend to promote human assistance priorities and may not support space exploration IF it is seen as harming social programs. But they also recognize the importance of ongoing scientific inquiry. In comparison to other, much larger programs (such as war), they might not begrudge the relatively small space budget. At least it's not deliberately killing people.

Answer 4

I think that we shouldn't spend so much money on space exploration. There are too many illneses and diseases in this world that could be stopped spreading by funding more researches. Also,many people are poor and can be saved by the money that are spent in those explorations. 1..2..3... a child died somewhere in the third world right now.... and we talk about space explorations? Have we solved our current problems??? We have destoyed an environment that existed 1.2billions of years before in only 200 years!!! Shall we be proud for that??? What.... are we going ot destroy our planet and go to destroy another in space. Why shall we only think that something else,in this situation space, can save us? We can save ourselves and our planet. And for one time let's not think about the proudness that we will have if we colonize other planets, let's think about the shame we have now and the proudness we will have when we save poor people and environment.
That's what I think about space exploration.

Answer 5

I definitely think space should be explored. It's the final frontier and were have gained so many benefits from going there. It would be ashame to give up on something so great. I'm a registered democrat although I always just vote based on my personal opinions and not on what label I happen to have.

Answer 6

I am for space exploration, but my motivations are not political. My motivations are more along the selfish lines of... I work in the space industry and it puts food on the table, and a roof over my family's head.

btw, I am a conservative, a far-right-winger
.

Answer 7

I think we should continue to explore space. It provides us with technoligical breakthroughs and it is part of our human nature to explore. Also, we will always find problems in society not matter how much money we spend on trying to fix problems.

Center

Answer 8

All for space exploration. there have been many great spin offs such as that computer you are sitting at.

I'm a republican