It is not plausible that common people will be distracted by events happening at the slow rate at which this kind of events happen. I mean, spectacular events in this field are rare and pretty far between, with few influences on people's lives. People will be interested but not distracted. I think those who started the program couldn't have made the mistake to believe they will distract people from other, more immediate, events.
Well, people have a tendency to care for their offsprings. Worrying about the world they would be living in seems natural. Ensuring better odds for the species means better odds for individuals. I'm no psychologist, but i think another explanation could be that this pursuit of "higher goals" satisfy a inner desire to improve the self-image of one.
There are more explanations possible (I can think of some, but i'm to lazy to enumerate them all:)), but probably a mix of them all is the true explanation.
Why do you believe the survival of our species has intrinsic value?
The sum of it would be that it just *feels* the right thing:).
One way to put people on Venus is to make Venus habitable, terraforming it. It will take a long time to make a significant change in the environment (the most optimistic projects I've seen start at 500 years+) but it's possible. Anyway, the costs are huge and we need a space base (outside gravity wells) from which to launch the missions.
Mars has significant gravity. To some extent the bone structure can be mantained through exercises. But the most important thing is that gravity can be simulated. A spinning wheel-like space-station will create the effects of gravity for people living inside it. I can't see people living on Moon for extended periods of time, but on Mars or on space-stations orbiting the Moon, people are possible.
There is no such thing as perpetually happy people or perpetually unhappy people. Everyone uses the means on their disposal to search happy moments and avoid unhappy ones. From that point of view, people from now and people from centuries ago are equal, as are people from every "world" be it first, second or third.
Slashdot Mirror
It is not plausible that common people will be distracted by events happening at the slow rate at which this kind of events happen. I mean, spectacular events in this field are rare and pretty far between, with few influences on people's lives. People will be interested but not distracted. I think those who started the program couldn't have made the mistake to believe they will distract people from other, more immediate, events.
There are more explanations possible (I can think of some, but i'm to lazy to enumerate them all
The sum of it would be that it just *feels* the right thing
From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venusian_terraforming
One way to put people on Venus is to make Venus habitable, terraforming it. It will take a long time to make a significant change in the environment (the most optimistic projects I've seen start at 500 years+) but it's possible. Anyway, the costs are huge and we need a space base (outside gravity wells) from which to launch the missions.
Mars has significant gravity. To some extent the bone structure can be mantained through exercises. But the most important thing is that gravity can be simulated. A spinning wheel-like space-station will create the effects of gravity for people living inside it. I can't see people living on Moon for extended periods of time, but on Mars or on space-stations orbiting the Moon, people are possible.
There is no such thing as perpetually happy people or perpetually unhappy people. Everyone uses the means on their disposal to search happy moments and avoid unhappy ones. From that point of view, people from now and people from centuries ago are equal, as are people from every "world" be it first, second or third.