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Pillars of Creation Destroyed
anthemaniac writes with news about the Pillars of Creation, an iconic structure in the Eagle Nebula some 7,000 light-years distant. The Hubble Space Telescope's image of this structure is one of the most widely recognized astronomy images ever captured. Now a new image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope suggests that the pillars probably toppled 6,000 years ago. From the article: "Astronomers think [a] supernova's shock wave knocked the pillars down about 6,000 years ago. But because light from that region of the sky takes 7,000 years to reach us, the majestic pillars will appear intact to observers on Earth for another 1,000 years or so.'"
Less than 1% of every US tax dollar goes to space.
NASA's budget is 16.8 billion (source)
Do you really think that, if that money were not going to space, it would go to the programs that you want it to go to?
Well if the government can create a budget for NASA I'm sure they can create a budget for something else. Yeah they're wasteful... so let's pick a useful program that should have some money.
Do you not think that the exploration of our universe is a noble cause, worthy of public funding?
Noble? Feeding starving people is noble. Distributing basic medicines and AIDS vaccines in Africa is noble. Building wells and roads and other infrastructure in poorer nations to help them become self sustaining is noble. Developing technologies that eliminate or radically reduce our dependence on fossil fuels is noble. Taking pictures and measuring waves from long dead space objects... not so much.
It seems like a massive waste of money. I get satellites. I get trips and research and projects that produce secondary benefits. I'm just asking what's the real value here?
Yes. Which is less than 1%. I wasn't trying to make a point about incorrect math... I was just stating exactly how much was being spent on taking pictures of stuff that no longer exists and that we have no real practical way of ever getting to and probably will never have any real impact on anyone on this planet ever.
The stance of refusing to believe is an active stance, and requires a conscious choice to believe in something you cannot prove
This is a subtle fallacy. I don't have the active stance of refusing to believe in God more than I have the active stance of refusing to believe in green-bearded nazi unicors thriving on Charon. Both are entities whose existence I would have happily ignored before the imagination of men created both (I created the latest just now; but now, how can you say they don't exist? Bet your life on it, if you dare!)
-- Patent no.123456: A way to personalize