Jokerman said:
People always use this ignorant argument when it comes to the space program. Why is this and trying to solve some of the problems here on earth mutually exclusive? Like if they spend money on this, they won't be spending money on anything you think is more important. Let's not upkeep, say, the elevators in some federal buildings because we could be using the money to solve important problems instead. We have to do a little of everything! And who says exploring Mars, let alone the space program itself, doesn't help solve some of the problems on earth?
Upkeeping elevators aids everyday life quickly & visibly while an expedition to Mars doesn't do the former & may never do the latter.
And you're right, one day it might, but there is the possibility that by ignoring the problems (to a degree) we might cause damage which cannot be helped by exploring Mars - for example, it's hardly likely that exploring Mars will ressurect however many children die from treatable diseases today - & I mean that literally, just this day.
Jokerman said:
By exploring Mars, we increase our knowledge of Planetary Science. Guess what, earth is a planet and planets evolve, and one of the questions we want answered is, will Earth always be a nice planet to live on? No? How so? What might happen? What has happened to Mars? What must we do to prevent what happend to Mars?
'Nice planet'? For some people it's not so 'nice'. Sure it's functional, but not necessarily pleasant. And, again, I agree that there is use to be found in exploring Mars but I feel too much of it relies on 'what ifs'.
Jokerman said:
Falling into the category of planetary evolution are planetary atmospheres, planetary hydrology, planetary geophysics, and climate change. The comparative planetology of planets with atmospheres is a key to the understanding of the formation of the Earth, its atmosphere and oceans, and the physical and chemical conditions that led to the origin and evolution of life.
Knowing & understanding the origins & evolution of life would be nice & most probably helpful but we can survive - for the time being - without it. There are many people in the world who cannot survive without the things that that money could provide for them.
Jokerman said:
Man's activities are right now effecting the course of planetary evolution on the Earth. Man can also can affect planetary evolution on Mars through terraforming. Can anyone say, over-population. Is that a problem on earth? Would making a new earth for ppl to live on ease the problem of over-population? Being the most Earth-like of the planets, Mars holds all the basic elements necessary for the creation of self-sufficient colonies. We need to look into these things.
That money could've been invest in enviromental projects which could help limit the damage we've done to this planet & also ease the problem of over-population.
It's true that it could be hugely beneficial to the human race to explore Mars - but then incinerating every known carrier of AIDs could be beneficial to the human race too, right?
Jokerman said:
Mars may provide us with information that may be vital to the saving of our own planet. Is there water on Mars? Was there water on Mars? Will there be no water on Earth? When we study the geophysics of Mars and other planets, we are learning about the earth. Its seismology, heat flow, magnetic field and gravity field. You think learning to predict or prevent earthquakes here on earth would be an important off-shoot of Mars exploration? Huh?
Again, investing in enviromental projects (which, I suppose, this could partially be seen as if this was the type of research they were specifically doing) could also save our own planet - & that 'could', is a pretty strong one. Obviously we can't predict exactly what's going to happen but there are estimations made about the time we have left on this planet.
While we may not be equipped to predict exactly when & where earthquakes will occur, geographical studies have allowed us the ability to gauge the most dangerous 'hotspots' & as such, potentially limit the damage they cause. Such funding could allow governments the chance to lessen the danger of these areas - even if it means relocating the people of that region.
Jokerman said:
Earth's magnetic field reverses polarity occasionally, followed by ice ages. We don't know why. Will it happen again? Think we can learn things from Mars' magnetic field? Don't think, I'll tell you: yes.
Once again, I agree that there ould be useful information gained.
Jokerman said:
I won't even go into the importance of studying ancient life forms that might be readily available on Mars and not on Earth.
I haven't even touched the surface (of Mars) of all the important off-shoots to exploring Mars. The point is, far from being unimportant, missions like this might be the most important things we are doing to "solve some of the problems here on earth."
While you can say that you can delve deeper into the benefits of exploring Mars, evidence of what such funding can do - not 'possibly', 'what if' or 'maybe' - can be produced.
I do agree that exploring Mars could be beneficial - possibly in ways that we can't even speculate - but I personally feel there are areas more in need of funding & as such, the money could've been better spent.
As I know you're aware of other areas which need funding, I can only reason that it's our solutions that are different.
