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Why Space Exploration Is Worth the Cost
mlimber writes "The Freakonomics blog has a post in which they asked six knowledgeable people, Is space exploration is worth the public cost? Their answers are generally in the affirmative and illuminating. For example David M. Livingston, host of The Space Show, said: 'Businesses were started and are now meeting payrolls, paying taxes, and sustaining economic growth because the founder was inspired by the early days of the manned space program, often decades after the program ended! This type of inspiration and motivation seems unique to the manned space program and, of late, to some of our robotic space missions.'"
Those simple folks who worship military power keep modding down my anti-war posts. I guess they want US troops to keep dying because their daddy is already dead or something. I just don't get the rabid fellating of the military in this country. Not once in 40 years has the military been used to protect Americans...the 'threats' were always abstract and unprovable.
Blar.
So what? Do you know who your great-great-great-great-great-great grandparents were? Do you care?
Do you think humanity at large gives a shit about you, me or Einstein? One day this big ole rotating rock is gonna be without living stuff on it, but it ain't gonna happen anytime soon (or it could happen tomorrow). Spare me the long-term, we-are-so-important self-congratulatory global benevolence attitute and invent me a flying car, dammit.