Mars may offer international opportunities for political recognition for certain members of our government. It does not recognize nor benefit the 40 million children without health insurance or the millions of families living below the poverty level in the richest nation in the world. Where are the compassionate conservatives who espouse family values in order to gain office? Why do our religious organizations support the unchristian actions of this administration?

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What it comes down to is this: Earth is a cradle and not a tomb.

Despite an overabundance of one-dimensional problems (many of them self-imposed by Man), we still live in a four-dimensional universe. It is our duty — as both stewards and the best hope for the planet — to guarantee the survival of life beyond its present planetary boundaries.

Every one of us alive today is an inheritors of a destiny guaranteed by an unbroken line of succession. Any break in that line — anywhere — and we would not be here. We owe it to those who passed the mantle to us to continue that relentless and successful march of life.

Don’t like that line of reasoning? Then do it for the dinosaurs. Help guarantee the survival of the planet, because they couldn’t.

If we are still trapped on this two-dimensional surface by one-dimensional problems when the Sun swells, then no one will care who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005, or the Nobel Prize in 1926, or Super Bowl XL.

It’s a big universe out there. Let’s get off the planet.

Between now and the time the Earth is pummelled by an asteroid, flamed by the Sun, or gamma-rayed by a distant supernova, let’s keep our cradle intact long enough to leave it behind when we reach for the stars.

Reaching the stars is not necessary for one-dimensional constructs.

But for living, four-dimensional creatures, it is an imperative.

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Most of the posts remind me of the thought patterns in the 60′s, and if we hadn’t gone to the moon back then, none of us would typing on our computers now, because they wouldn’t exist!
40 million uninsured children, I don’t think so, but if there are 40 million uninsured people in this country its probably because 80% of them don’t belong here, a.k.a. illegal aliens, sorry but if parents can’t afford their children, why are they having them?!
Double the NASA budget every year for the next 5 or 6 years, by getting rid of the federal EPA and dept. of Education, and lets get the show on the road. USA #1. Keith

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Consider that the Helium 3 Isotope, a fusion energy source, is abundant on the surface of the moon and will pay for all exploration there.
Reference:
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/helium3_000630.html
“Back to the Moon”, Hickam

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The Mars mission is a political boondoggle,
Geared to keep a select few employed at the expense of millions. Regardless of what the economists are saying; this country will be in a recession within the next six months. This country needs jobs for the masses. We need to learn to live on this planet and conserve our resourses. The cost of living on a planet with a hostile environment is ludicrous.

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Why don’t we ask our kids what they feel about this? They are the ones who will ‘inherit’ the results of this decision.

It is our duty to give them a positive vision for the future and what better than a mission to Mars?

I recall how the whole world was excited about the moon landings decades back. It had a very positive influence on humankind. Wars, conflicts, rising prices, etc. existed even back then and will continue to do so in future but that did not prevent a few enterprising individuals from dreaming big, living their dream and giving hope to millions across the globe.

There are a whole lot of people who are going to have to work very very hard to make this a reality. A little positive support from all of us will help them and us.

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I personally dream of seeing the first manned mission to Mars. However, I see it as low on the priority list of things that really need to be done on this world before we can extend further out. Let’s set a smaller goal of returning to the Moon first, and setting up a research and development colony there. Then, in due time we can launch a Mars mission from there, using local minerals and materials from the Moon, and have only a fraction of the gravity well to contend with that we would have directly from Earth.
On the other hand, we have the problems of social and economic implication to be concerned with. Several of the comments already posted indicate that we need to solve these prior to going to the planets and stars. We have really diverse ideas on how to go about solving these problems. Social injustice, global warming, lack of economic opportunity, … the list is awesome to contemplate.
The real problem we have with all of these is generally how to solve them when we have self-seeking individuals trying to feather their own nests in the process. We seldom have people in charge of making the decisions that don’t have a personal opinion of how to fix things. Often that opinion is wrong, and the “cure” can sometimes be worse than the condition it’s supposed to fix.
There will never be progress in the right direction until those responsible for finding the right answers will seek those answers with the interests of humanity in general most firmly imbedded in their minds.
I agree with those who think that only education will ever help us to solve the problems that confront us all. Help to get everyone a first-class education from kindergarten through high school. Get unions out of the education business, because they and opinionated “educators” are the greatest impediments to a proper education that exist. When we finally realize that we need to get back to basics, (Readin’, wRitin’, and aRithmetic) and then let the kids find their own social agenda (instead of having it pushed on them by an over- liberal educational establishment), is when we will start to make progress.

What does this have to do with a Mission to Mars? Nothing and everything. The social agenda is very high on the priority list, even for a staunch conservative such as I am. But, so is a science agenda, because only through research and development can we deal with some of the problems, such as worldwide hunger. Even here in the U S of A!!! If we can’t get a good handle on the easily solvable problems we have on this ball of dirt, what gives us the idea that we can go to another one and do better? I know that is over- simplistic, but it makes sense. I have to say that we need to solve social and economic problems here first. Then, go shooting off into space.

I urge the powers-that-be to set education as goal Number One, and make sure that we start with the basics. Yes, Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic. Get those basic things down first so the kids can get through life, whether they’re budding geniuses, or just smart enough to get dressed every day and find their way to a job slinging burgers or cleaning hotel rooms. Make sure everyone can read, write, and do basic math. Then, worry about instilling them with a social conscience, after they’ve become self-sufficient. And that talk about the 40 million uninsured? It will always be a problem as long as there is a profit motive to be considered. As long as we must pay for care, and there is money at the bottom of the health care pyramid, there will always be people who will lack medical care. And regrettably, there will always be people who cannot handle a high-tech job, because there will always be people who will not be blessed with a high IQ. This is not to say they don’t deserve a high standard of living, because they do just the same as anyone else. It is only to say that we need to face reality and recognize that this is a fact of life. The problems that are social are always related to money and/or power. The desire for these two things, and all things related to them, is at the bottom of the outstanding bulk of the difficulties in this world. Anywhere the direct solution cannot be simply better science or technology, we will always have a problem because the pursuit of money, power, etc., will stand in the way of progress. Only when we can override these basic motivators and rise above them can we move forward. I truly wish it was different. I’d love to see us land people on Mars, and get those benefits for humanity that it would produce. But, we need other things much more than the euphoria this mission would produce.

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Education is a good thing, and we should aspire to provide it to those willing to receive it.

However, the issue here is whether Moon/Mars is the right direction for NASA. The answer is No–not even close. Except for M/M being an identifiable goal, it has minimal purpose.

If we want to mine He3, we should seek to do that. We’ll get to Mars eventually. Rushing it is not cost-effective.

There are many other sources of energy and valuable materials in space. They are not free, but they can be obtained with programs that generate break-even’s down the road. The best of these should be identified and pursued. Even if they fail, the research generated will have its own payback. Those that succeed will pave the way to a pay-as-you-go process. Space is the new “West”. Sadly, we still view it as a profoundly hostile environment, just as the colonists to this country viewed the East Coast. Another analogy is the railroads. We subsidized these with huge giveaways of land. We need to subsidize space transit and enterprise to gain the same benefits the railroads brought.

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