Be alert for falling objects

[tornado]

Sorry Chewa - maybe I didn't make myself clear - but not one person had to go into space in order to provide us all with GPS...
..as for the Solyndra reference - again I have no problem if Solyndra wants to develop energy means - but I do have a problem when they take $500 million+ of taxpayer money and it disappears and they fold leaving the taxpayers out that cash...especially when those crooks in DC are the ones making those $500 mil decisions.

I was mainly opposed to the projects that send people into space and to the moon and other planets, fund by taxpayers' $....

Just shooting a rocket up with a satellite that can give us the GPS system we have is OK by me - I simply would want to see some DEFINED benefit from spending the millions - instead of the argument that we need to go and explore.....and spend all the money not even knowing what will come of it.
That's irresponsible in my judgement, but if someone wants to spend their own money then fine.

I'd love for the government to hand me a couple billion and say .. "go somewhere and explore things and let us know what you find.."
I would probably choose Hawaii or Tahiti to start ...wouldn't you??

[ChewaBrave]

It seems somewhat silly, to assume that GPS would have been simply developed without ever having a manned mission to space to gain knowledge, to do maintenance, to test, etc. Regardless of manned craft or not, NASA allowed GPS to happen which saves thousand (probably more) of lives annually and is invaluable to how our country conducts commerce, war, and transportation.

[tornado]

I don't think it is an assumption at all - if you read about the plans for the GPS system - they began way back before we had the capability to send a space shuttle.
The original plans and pretty much how it was carried out was just rocketing satellites into defined orbits.
BUT -- even if GPS was on the list of things we have gained from space exploration....

...I will play the devil's advocate....I know GPS is a great benefit to some and there are commercial and military uses...but we still got where we wanted easily long before GPS - and GPS has done little to affect the lives of most citizens.
I don't own a GPS and I firmly believe I never will. I am quite happy and successful with what I do and cannot see where GPS technology has made much of any impact anywhere in my existence.
So I would need to hear more than GPS to convince me I should appreciate the space program - since it is just one more thing that a nice perk for some but doesn't mean enough to sway me.


Here's where I think we are being silly - talking about sending people to Mars - and even to other star systems looking for life or something of value....but we haven't found any evidence for life "out there" yet despite 50 years of looking with the SETI project and of course even the LEAST habitable place on earth (like the south pole where nobody really wants to go) is still far more habitable than the BEST place we've found anywhere else in our system or beyond.
I'm ok letting people go - just use their own money not mine.....

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/05/24/nasa_goal_manned_trip_to_mars_by_2033_.html

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/discoblog/2010/10/04/so-how-long-would-it-take-to-travel-to-that-exciting-new-exoplanet/

[ChewaBrave]

GPS in coordination with satellite technology is one of the deadliest weapons created by man. So while it might not affect you while driving your car to the store, Myself, as well as hundreds of thousands of marines, air force, navy, and army personnel have been affected by it. Maybe I see it differently, but I consider something with that track record as more than a perk.