Make up your mind NASA...

[beaky]

All well-put, but let's not forget that NASA has done an excellent job of exploring space with unmanned systems in the last few decades! The latest Mars rovers have really raised the bar (so they didn't get snaps of little green men- who cares? Even without life, Mars could prove very useful- and the latest landers and orbital surveyors are a valuable prerequisite for any future manned mission); then there's Huygens/Cassini (with a tip of the hat to the ESA, of course). And so many others: Viking, Voyager, Galileo, etc., etc.
And there's the Earth-study end of things, including a great deal learned about the Sun and its effect on life right here at home, etc.
 And how long did Pioneer 10 keep sending home valuable tidbits of data on the composition of the solar system? Thirty years? It's entering interstellar space, and NASA made it happen!
I think I got my money's worth on those missions... but I'm not like most people; I get pretty excited about stuff like that.
But yes, as far as manned missions go, the showboating and poll- appeasing has to stop, and all the world's space agencies (and the emerging private groups) should focus on setting stepping-stones firmly in place.
It's definitely just a daydream at this point, the idea of humans occupying  space and other planets, but the dreamers are always the ones who get such ventures started: Tsiolkovsky, Goddard, Von Braun, etc.

[Katahu]

Inconclusion of this entire thread:

They can dismantle the space program or rearrange it all they want, but one thing will remain unchanged. The thrill, passion, dream, and sense of adventure for space exploration will never die for as long as at least ONE living human being dreams about going to space and make it happen.

[Hagar]

Unfortunately, the way I see it the dreamers don't stand a chance with a goverment funded project but they can't achieve their dreams without government support. As for me, I'm sorry but I never did see any point in going to Mars. My dreams are confined to the planet I was born on.

[BFMF]

As for me, I'm sorry but I never did see any point in going to Mars. My dreams are confined to the planet I was born on.

You never know. A 100 years ago, nobody thought that space travel could help contribute to mankind, but look what it's done for us.

[Hagar]

You never know. A 100 years ago, nobody thought that space travel could help contribute to mankind, but look what it's done for us.

Exactly what would that be Andrew? People keep telling me how much benefit we've had from the manned space program but when tackled about it nobody seem to know what that is.

[Katahu]

Uhh.... let's see.

We learned that man can survive in space for quite some time.

Some materials made by NASA in the past and present have been used in the general public. Radiation shielding, reusing wastes in space [don't ask what kind], robotics, etc.

Many of the new technologies that were meant for space have also contributed to the advancements in Medicine, common everyday items that we use, materials that have improved military and civil aviation. The list goes on.

OH yes, and the computer that you are using.

[RichieB16]

Unfortunately, the way I see it the dreamers don't stand a chance with a goverment funded project but they can't achieve their dreams without government support.

Hence the reason why I decided to work towards dental school instead of attend the USAF Academy in the hopes of becoming an astronaut (which was my life long dream).

[Scorpiоn]

I remember (back when I watched TV) from The West Wing, that NASA spent loads of money developing a pen that would work in space, and the Russians used a pencil.  So now we have ballpoint pens!

At any rate, I take a sort of sceptical view towards all things space related, but I stop short of dismissing them as folly.  While Hubble may give us pretty pictures, the CG animations of rover are kind of "cute" and it's always fun to see Russians, Americans etc. float around in the space station, I fail to see how all of this has provided any palpable benifit.  Aircraft were providing civil and military benifits before long after all, however it may be the modern trend that more time has to be invested before any result is seen, but even I don't believe that to any great extent.  Nevertheless, when I think of space, I always equate it to the "New World" explorations.  Who would've thought that men like the Christopher Colombus (I know he didn't discover America, that's not the point) would actually find something worthwhile and now just blow away tons of the Spanish (I think) Queen's money?

[Hagar]

[quote]I remember (back when I watched TV) from The West Wing, that NASA spent loads of money developing a pen that would work in space, and the Russians used a pencil.

[Scorpiоn]

I suspected it wasn't true, but at the same time, it didn't sound too implausible.  Go figure.

[Hagar]

I believe the pen you're talking about was no ordinary ball-point. It cost an awful amount of money to to develop as it had to work in a zero gravity environment in space. I'm not quite sure what other benefits this is supposed to have for mankind. I find my cheap Bics work perfectly well enough for my purposes.

[RichieB16]

The pen used a presurized cylinder inside of it to push the ink to the end.  They are actually very common today, a lot of nicer pens are like this.

[H]

I believe the pen you're talking about was no ordinary ball-point. It cost an awful amount of money to to develop as it had to work in a zero gravity environment in space. I'm not quite sure what other benefits this is supposed to have for mankind. I find my cheap Bics work perfectly well enough for my purposes.

I think they spent all that money for Ozzy so that he could write while upside down. Of course, I'm not entirely aware of your general motis operendi so, I suppose, it could well be to your charge, as well, should you ever learn to write instead of poking away at a keyboard.

[ozzy72]

Laszlo Biro Doug He was a Hungarian! And Hungarians never forget the many great and important inventions they gave the world. The biro (named after its inventor), the match, the generator, the atomic bomb (most of the guys working on the project were Hungarian or of Hungarian origin physicists, and there are some funny stories about OSS spying on them as they didn't trust them an inch), and of course the Rubiks cube (an evil thing invented by spatial mathmatician Prof. Rubik)

[Hagar]

Some materials made by NASA in the past and present have been used in the general public. Radiation shielding, reusing wastes in space [don't ask what kind], robotics, etc.

Many of the new technologies that were meant for space have also contributed to the advancements in Medicine, common everyday items that we use, materials that have improved military and civil aviation. The list goes on.

OH yes, and the computer that you are using.

Sorry to go on about it but this is another common fallacy. As I've pointed out before, the modern electronic computer that we're all familiar with today was developed from Colossus, built at Bletchley Park during WWII. http://www.alanturing.net/turing_archive/pages/Reference%20Articles/BriefHistofComp.html#Col
Computers contributed to the advancement in space travel, not the other way round. Most of the other things you mention would probably have been developed separately or without sending a human being into space at all.