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Ray Bradbury's Reasons to Go to Mars

Posted by Hemos on from the interesting-reading-at-least dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Ray Bradbury's testimony to the Presidential blue-ribbon Commission, 'Moon to Mars and Beyond', covers a range of rather optimistic space-related topics, including why three Italians should be the first on Mars. But at age 83, Bradbury's next book, entitled 'Too Soon From the Cave, Too Far From the Stars' seems to set an overall vision that this is an in-between generation caught between the brutal and primitive and the advanced."

4 of 387 comments (clear)

  1. Beat The Chinese by USAPatriot · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I think getting there before the Chinese first do is reason enough. Right now, the USA still has the most advanced space program of any nation. But the Chinese are making a push, and I wouldn't be surprised to see these wily, scientifically advanced people landed on the Moon in the near future. I, for one do not want to see this fascist, totalitarian state score a propoganda win by landing humans on Mars first. Going to Mars would give NASA a real purpose. The ISS is a joke, the shuttles are obsolete and unsafe. This would inject some needed life to NASA and revive technological advances that hasn't been seen in 40 years.

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  2. Re:Didn't Arther C. Clark say by Mr.+Troll · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I really can't stand people over-quoting each other. Just because someone else said something, doesn't somehow make that statement more valid. Please leave your Einstien and Ben Franklin *quotes* at home.....you act like they never said anything stupid in their lives.

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  3. Screwed, you say? by 87C751 · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    OK, here's a little exercise. Fill in the blank:
    1. Provide potable drinking water to everyone on the planet
    2. ?????
    3. Profit!
    Disappointing though it may be, Earth is in the hands of capitalists and the profit motive reigns supreme. And all the artifical political boundaries just help support the whole profiteering initiative. We go to war so General Dynamics can pay a dividend next quarter. We go to Mars so Lockheed-Martin can build the equipment for the mission. And so on, and so on...

    Depressing, ain't it?

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  4. Re:What wrong with traveling to Mars? by dave420 · · Score: 0, Flamebait
    It's not about politics, but people who need our help NOW. Throwing money at a new spaceship is just a graphic illustration of our love of the idea of progress. We're never going to progress if we just ignore huge parts of our world, who because they can't do anything for us, we shun. It's disgusting to be talking about pissing trillions up the wall when a small proportion of that could pay for running water for most of the world. It's all about priorities, not politics. I don't care if JFK and Jesus came back from their graves and announced it in a joint press conference - I'd still not buy it.

    We need to invest so heavily on a gamble, which is exactly what this is. There's no guarantee of return.

    Yes, I do have issues with more than mars - I have issues with rich people wanting to get even richer, at the expense of poor people. Call me old fashioned, but that sucks. If you don't have a problem with the rich getting richer and the poor getting deader, fine. I just hope you don't call yourself a christian in the process! (hear that, mr. bush?) :-P