US has plans to go to moon and then to Mars. They are trying to figure out if there was ever water on Mars. The pictures sent by Rovers are quite fascinating, no doubt.
But can someone tell us why exactly are we going to Mars? So, if there is water, then what? Do we think the Earth is small for human beings so we need another planet to settle into or have cities and communities on the Moon? Who will be willing to leave Earth and live on Moon or Mars?
Or is it for geologists and those who are forever curious about how Earth came into being, and presumably how it will end?
Exploration leads to knowledge, innovation and advancement. If there was ever water on Mars, the planet may have once supported life. Think how much we could learn about ourselves and our universe if we could find out why (or why not) this was the case.
I'm sure columbus and leif ericsson were also asked many years ago "why look for any new worlds, we have everything we need right here".
For that matter I'm sure 20 years ago many people were saying why do we need computers, my slide rule and typewriter work just fine.
My question is... if there was indeed water on Mars, a few million years ago... then what? Is there a reasonable expectation, that some time in the future, a few decades/centuries from now, men will infact want to establish communities on Moon and Mars?
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
US has plans to go to moon and then to Mars. They are trying to figure out if there was ever water on Mars. The pictures sent by Rovers are quite fascinating, no doubt.
But can someone tell us why exactly are we going to Mars? So, if there is water, then what? Do we think the Earth is small for human beings so we need another planet to settle into or have cities and communities on the Moon? Who will be willing to leave Earth and live on Moon or Mars?
Or is it for geologists and those who are forever curious about how Earth came into being, and presumably how it will end?
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It is in human nature to explore, first it was the moon then mars and then nearest star and then galaxy, there is no end.
There will be no place like planet earth anywhere in the universe!
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
US has plans to go to moon and then to Mars. They are trying to figure out if there was ever water on Mars. The pictures sent by Rovers are quite fascinating, no doubt.
But can someone tell us why exactly are we going to Mars? So, if there is water, then what? Do we think the Earth is small for human beings so we need another planet to settle into or have cities and communities on the Moon? Who will be willing to leave Earth and live on Moon or Mars?
Or is it for geologists and those who are forever curious about how Earth came into being, and presumably how it will end?
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Well if your type of thinking was more common place all of mankind would still be sat sniffing butts in an East African rift valley.
In other words we don't know why we're going until we get there but it beats not going, simply becuase we'll never know.
Faisal, I'm unfortunate to say, but such arguments are the ones which led to the scientific and philosophical standstill in the muslim communities and the great advancements made by the West. As Thap says, if it weren't for such western pioneers we would still be wearing a leaf in front of cq. around our private parts instead of underwear.
C'mon now.. this isn't about the greater human emotion that drives exploration or any poetic crap like that... we're not going to lose our opposing thumbs if we don't go to Mars as soon as possible.
If ya wanna talk evolution, it's impatience that got plenty of dumb species killed. We're smart. (haha) We should should be smart enough to be confident, not complacent, with the pace of our progress, with the development of our knowledge. We are smart. So we should comprehend priorities and opportunity cost.. we still don't know all the microbes in our own bodies! why must we know all the ones on Mars first?!
I am just asking why are we going up there... and you guys are just jumping up and down with anger. I think this a bigger reason for the decline in muslim communities that we are always ready to jump someone's throat instead of providing reasonable and rationale answers.
If there was a wall behind your home and you see it every day for last 100 years (assuming that you are that old) wouldn't you want to know whats on the other side. I sure would and especially the universe with that many stars and planets who knows whats out there.. And there is only one way to find out. EXPLORE... to boldly go where no man has gone before.
yeah.. AFTER you have fed your kids and made sure they get all the attention.. u do it in 'spare' time..
it's not about the actions but the timings perhaps.. the nation is in deep dodo and stunts like these mean little when we are creating a dangerous world that might not even exist to benefit from the information these explorations will bring..
i was going to open a thread like this, but lacked the courage. i agree with Faisal Bhai and Spoon.
We have enough problems on planet Earth, we refuse to get our act together when it comes to healing our own ecosystems, it's not enough that we've caused more damage to species around the planet in the past 200 years than our ancestors caused in the past 20,000. Now we have to go and screw up other planets as well. Let's first shape up our actions on this planet before we go around leaving our filth and pollution on other parts of the universe...or better yet, let's haul in (to recycle) all of the debris in space left behind from previous missions. Let's clean up the oceans, lakes, streams, soil, skies, and air on planet Earth - then we may have the right to dream about screwing up other planets.
Sorry Faisal.. was that me?? :o Let me try again.. I think I'm agreeing with you but I'll try to put forth a more reasoned argument here.
No one is denying the virtues of exploration. Space should be explored. But why must it be explored now? That's my question. Why is there this affection for something so intangible as space when that passion can be put to better use exploring the depths of our seas or wilds of the jungle? But then why is there this acute flexing of the ears amongst the public when images of the moon or mars are shown on TV, but hardly anyone cares to know that neutrinos have mass (we only proved this recently through exploration).
My point: we're doing plenty of exploring. Ramping a prototype off a cliff before testing its basic functions isn't exploring, it's reckless and impatient. The moon and mars are not priorities. We already have a good idea of what the benefits would be and they're not that impressive, certainly not better than the alternatives available. They can stall our more productive areas of exploration and we'd be the worse for it in that case.
Well, I think the thread is now going in all different directions. :o
While I have nothing against exploration and all that... I guess what I am trying to ask is what do you think is the long term goal for Moon and Mars. Ok, so geological exploration is one... gives us clues about how Earth formed and all that. Fine fine fine. No problemo!
I was asking do you think, years from now, there is a possibility of having human colonies on Moon and Mars? If yes, unless present day human beings go through a significant evolutionary process, those places look quite harsh for humans to live. Or are the living conditions comparable to the harsh lives lived by, for example, eskimos or those in deserts or Antarctica or something?
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*Originally posted by Nadia_H: *
i was going to open a thread like this, but lacked the courage. i agree with Faisal Bhai and Spoon.
We have enough problems on planet Earth, we refuse to get our act together when it comes to healing our own ecosystems, it's not enough that we've caused more damage to species around the planet in the past 200 years than our ancestors caused in the past 20,000. Now we have to go and screw up other planets as well. Let's first shape up our actions on this planet before we go around leaving our filth and pollution on other parts of the universe...or better yet, let's haul in (to recycle) all of the debris in space left behind from previous missions. Let's clean up the oceans, lakes, streams, soil, skies, and air on planet Earth - then we may have the right to dream about screwing up other planets.
Your-resident-fundamentalist-lefty
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Now now lady, in the grand scheme of things mankind is part of the ecosystem and species go extinct 'naturally' everyday and are replaced by new variants. This process of death and re-birth on Earth has very little impact on our innate need to expand our horizons.
The whole of mankind can fit into France and live there happily and we can leave the rest of the globe to the grazing moose, but this won’t satisfy our curiosity and help drive us on to increase the knowledge of our surroundings in inner and outer space.
It’s time to get out of the cradle and into the unknown and use the resources we have to excel in technological development whilst holding onto the spiritual. Who knows for real happiness we may need to live a thousand years and the mineral that will get us there is buried on one of the moons of Neptune.
But then again many people would argue that the Earth is enough for them and all they need is a cave to sit in and contemplate, where the mental supersedes the physical, to them I’d say don’t come running for a Panadol when you get migraine from all the thinking.
The actor who plays the captain on TV’s Star Trek has said he thinks resources spent on sending people into space should be used on “getting this place right first”. Patrick Stewart said Earth should be our focus rather than other planets.
“I’m a bit of a wet blanket when it comes to the whole business of space travel,” he said in a BBC interview. As commander of the USS Enterprise on the show, his character Captain Jean-Luc Picard is an avid space traveller. In an interview with BBC World Service radio, Stewart said he backed unmanned missions such as Nasa’s Mars rover Opportunity and the UK’s Beagle 2 mission.
But he said he did not believe the human race was ready to begin thinking about beaming down on other planets.
**“As I get older my unease at the time and the money that has to be spent on projects putting human beings back to the moon, and on to another planet, is so enormous,” he said.
“And it would take up so many resources, which I personally feel should be directed at our own planet.”**
Interviewed by the World Update programme, he added: "Humankind has just not simply become sufficiently evolved to now leave this planet, take itself out to space and began establishing more of us out there.
“I would like to see us get this place right first before we have the arrogance to put significantly flawed civilisations out on to other planets - even though they may be utterly uninhabited.”
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*Originally posted by Faisal: *
I am just asking why are we going up there... and you guys are just jumping up and down with anger. I think this a bigger reason for the decline in muslim communities that we are always ready to jump someone's throat instead of providing reasonable and rationale answers.
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