Journey to the moon

Exploration is all about discovering new resources that can be used for the benefit of mankind, everything we greedily consume today is a result of exploration. Some of it was discovered a century or more before it became useful, if Mars is useful to us it will have to be exploited by robots, it does not support life as we know it on earth.

The nearest potential life supporting planet with a temperate
climate is 22 Light Years away, maybe at some time in the future we will learn how to travel at or faster than the speed of light. In the meantime swanning around universe in the Starship Enterprise is just remote fantasy, so forgive me for being sceptical at the usefulness going back to the moon.

CAT scans and MRI were not invented by NASA but were certainly enabled indirectly by space-age advances in computing and engineering. The NASA Apollo project ( which preceded the Artemis project) gave a massive impetus and large scale investment investment in: computing, electronics and materials science. Those advances spilled over into medicine. They led to sophisticated image processing techniques and better superconducting magnets. Without Apollo those advances might have been slower or never happened at all. I'm not sure everyone appreciates that the money isn't simply paying for a rocket but the salaries and research capabilities of thousands of engineers, scientists, medics and others, not just at NASA but throughout companies across the US. There is bound to be significant spin off from that. It's a pity the UK has only a minor part in that.

There are too many of us and we are running out of resources on this planet as Steven Hawkins said. To survive the human race has to find other worlds to live on.

Yes I think it's well worth it. There are people that say the money will be better spent here or there but the money spent will keep people in work in the factory's etc. We are losing jobs at such a rate due to AI that we need to keep people in jobs. No space program would have meant no cling film, no tin foil as well as hundreds of other things.

I think there's far more important things to spend money and fuel on. But I could maybe get a little excited about it, unfortunately I can't be excited about anything coming from the US right now.
But there are priorities, and right now this really isn't one.

I'm with Bluebelle- haven't we littered up this planet enough without littering space too?

With the US leader causing such turmoil around the world, causing fuel shortages and price increases I personally find it morally wrong to be spending $$$ to go into space. That money is needed elsewhere and so is the fuel. The world is pretty messed up at the moment I think it needs work before we go looking at the moon and space.

Kate1949

Oh Maybee how I agree. Let's sort this planet out before we go exploring another one. I do realise my views are those of an oldie.

Not necessarily. I wrote a poem questioning the value of space exploration when I was 17.

Aveline

I think it's just daft. Just because we can, should we?

If everybody had felt like that we would never have progressed as a civilisation, we might still be in the Stone Age.
I do take the point others have made that we need to sort out our own planet but I thought one of the main reasons to investigate the moon and the chance of landing again and even setting up any kind of settlement is to beat the Chinese to doing so and then claiming dominance.

Me too…..brave people !!

If populating the moon does come about, wonder how long it will take for nations to start a war over who owns what on it.

Humans are destroying Earth. I don’t see the point in spreading our destructive nature throughout the universe. A species as primitive and violent as we are, who cannot manage basic co-existence with each other and other life on Earth, will be a plague to new worlds. Plus, the fuel demands for space travel will only further degrade our planet. Resources would be put to better use solving issues here.

wasting everything
fuel,pollution is how climate horror things became
our world.
space race is because they dont want china to get
the checker flag

.

There's over 100 BILLION planets in our galaxy alone that are bigger than earth. In fact there's nearly 300 BILLION.

How fortunate you are to know that this is the best one!!
.

There may have been many spin off from the space programme but the progress of space travel has not advanced much in 50 yrs. The technology we know now is not likely to advance much until we have commercial Fusion power actually producing unlimited energy.

Hawkins's theoretical goal should be seen in terms of us exhausting resources before we have found another place to live. If there was a smaller population on earth resources would last longer, potentially, with recycling perpetually that is a goal that costs nothing to achieve, just the will to have less children

BlueBelle

Only if the put Trump onboard and steer it to not return

Seriously I think space travel is totally unnecessary what do we want… to go and kill another planter

Spin-off Technologies in Daily Life
Thousands of technologies originally developed for the rigors of space have been adapted for commercial and personal use.

Health & Medicine: Space research led to the development of Digital Imaging (MRI and CAT scans), Ear Thermometers, Scratch-resistant Lenses, and Implantable Heart Monitors.
Consumer Goods: Everyday items like Memory Foam (originally for crash protection), Cordless Tools (developed for Apollo moon walks), and Enriched Baby Food were direct results of space exploration.
Safety: Modern Smoke Detectors, Water Purification Systems, and Global Search-and-Rescue Systems all trace their roots to NASA and other space agency innovations.

Allsorts

People with curiosity and intelligence and a sense of adventure will always want to push boundries to see what is out there. I think the crews on these journeys into space are so dedicated and brave, a lot have died within minutes of take off. When you think how much it costs and the good that could be done with the money, it does make you think again but in reality it would not be given to good causes and we do learn a lot. It would be my idea of hell going through the years of training to eventually cooped up in that rocket. I love to watch it on tv.

I totally agree. I watched the launch on Sky News. And l was totally in awe of the safe lift off. I had my fingers crossed that it all go well.

It did and still is When you think of it. It is a massive achievement to even get that rocket, that size off the ground.

This is from someone who is old enough to remember all the Space Race stuff from the Sixties.

I hope they have a successful mission and get back to Mother Earth as planned.

Well Done
NASA
👍🌗🚀🇺🇸🌎👏👏🥠

It saddens and infuriates me in equal measure to see billions of pounds being wasted when we have a beautiful planet that is on the road to ruin because of the way it has been treated. That includes all the people and animals whose homes have been lost and who suffer hunger and disease because they are not considered a priority.

Unfortunate timing with their country being at war but the pictures of the earth were wonderful . What a strange country it is - such a mixture of courage and insanity.

Eloethan These are exactly my feelings Why on earth is anybody wasting all this money on a project that is so unnecessary? Leave the outside world alone and let’s get on with trying to mend the one we are ruining using all this ‘excess’ money

Some Stone Agers would have complained about the inventor of the wheel wasting valuable resources on his project when he could have been out collecting nuts and berries.

Absolutely I do. So many advances in technology and medicine and knowledge in general come from space science.

What are the objectives? To see how humanity can exploit the moon and for the US to gain kudos.

I suspect we will always want to explore the universe out of curiosity and for scientific research but I wonder if having these as our objectives is a luxury we can’t afford.

I have mixed feelings as I acknowledge the benefits of research but I want us to care for our own planet first. We have already contributed ‘dirty’ and destructive space junk outside Earth, let alone within it.

Indiebee

What are the objectives? To see how humanity can exploit the moon and for the US to gain kudos.

I suspect we will always want to explore the universe out of curiosity and for scientific research but I wonder if having these as our objectives is a luxury we can’t afford.

I have mixed feelings as I acknowledge the benefits of research but I want us to care for our own planet first. We have already contributed ‘dirty’ and destructive space junk outside Earth, let alone within it.

So the Spanish explorers were financed by the king to go out of curiosity to the New World, no, they went to find gold and other precious metals
It's no different now we havnt advanced one iota, they are going to exploit what ever they can, there may well be incidental research and discoveries that takes place, that is not the prime objective.

Even Hawkins said space research is to try to find a new planet to live on and exploit its resources

David49 - read my first two sentences - we agree!