Our Most Important Space Program

[Quetzal]

Only if Quetzal is a snitch.
And what do we do with snitches?

Don't look at me, I have a tough time with traditional Ameri-mex food!

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

My only problem with this is it should have been called "Space Jart"

On at least one occassion, we played a version of this that involved having to catch jarts by hand. This evolved into using badminton racquets, then old tennis rackets. Eventually, the concept evolved into "catching" them with a baseball bat...that pretty much ended it because jarts aren't made to be struck with a baseball bat...

Today, I don't think that kids get left alone all that much to come up with such entertainment...

 

[Wu Wei]

On at least one occassion, we played a version of this that involved having to catch jarts by hand. This evolved into using badminton racquets, then old tennis rackets. Eventually, the concept evolved into "catching" them with a baseball bat...that pretty much ended it because jarts aren't made to be struck with a baseball bat...

Today, I don't think that kids get left alone all that much to come up with such entertainment...

I would be terrified if my kids were..... knowing the stuff I did as a kid....but even as a kid, the two things I could never figure out were, Jarts and horse shoes. Kids stand at opposite ends of the field throwing either sharp pointy projectiles at each other or metal U-shaped projectiles... even as a kid playing these games...it just did not seem like the best idea for a game to leave kids unsupervised while playing.... of course saying this, I am also the guy that was 50% responsible fro coming up with war tennis.... covered all 3 courts and the idea was to hit the other guy with the ball... your racket was both weapon and shield and it did not matter how many times it bounced...you hit it back with all your might.

 

[Revoltingest]

I would be terrified if my kids were..... knowing the stuff I did as a kid....but even as a kid, the two things I could never figure out were, Jarts and horse shoes. Kids stand at opposite ends of the field throwing either sharp pointy projectiles at each other or metal U-shaped projectiles... even as a kid playing these games...it just did not seem like the best idea for a game to leave kids unsupervised while playing.... of course saying this, I am also the guy that was 50% responsible fro coming up with war tennis.... covered all 3 courts and the idea was to hit the other guy with the ball... your racket was both weapon and shield and it did not matter how many times it bounced...you hit it back with all your might.

We were even worse....actually shooting at each other in an apple cold storage
facility with BB guns & slingshots. We gave it up when one kid got....you guessed
it....shot in the eye (eyelid, that is). Gawd we was dumb.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

I would be terrified if my kids were..... knowing the stuff I did as a kid....but even as a kid, the two things I could never figure out were, Jarts and horse shoes. Kids stand at opposite ends of the field throwing either sharp pointy projectiles at each other or metal U-shaped projectiles... even as a kid playing these games...it just did not seem like the best idea for a game to leave kids unsupervised while playing.... of course saying this, I am also the guy that was 50% responsible fro coming up with war tennis.... covered all 3 courts and the idea was to hit the other guy with the ball... your racket was both weapon and shield and it did not matter how many times it bounced...you hit it back with all your might.

We did something similar--more like dodgeball using tennis balls and rackets...the biggest problem was getting enough people to make two effective teams...we had several places were there was just one or two courts together...

 

[Wu Wei]

We were even worse....actually shooting at each other in an apple cold storage
facility with BB guns & slingshots. We gave it up when one kid got....you guessed
it....shot in the eye (eyelid, that is). Gawd we was dumb.

Had a friend who had much the same idea using rocks.... tried to get me into it.... surprisingly I was smart enough to decline.... he decided it was not fun after he took a rather large rock in the chest.... he was not wearing a shirt at the time..... I did not throw it at him...one of his other "friends" did... he was not much interested in rock throwing games after that....I will avoid getting into my dirt bike antics as a youth.. I will finish with.....yes...we was dumb

 

[Wu Wei]

We did something similar--more like dodgeball using tennis balls and rackets...the biggest problem was getting enough people to make two effective teams...we had several places were there was just one or two courts together...

Wish I thought of that


For my game all you needed was 2....we did however....on more than one occasion...chase serious tennis players off the courts...mostly out of fear for their lives....actually had a friend hit the ball at me, just miss my head, and it got stuck in the chain-link fence behind me

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Wish I thought of that


For my game all you needed was 2....we did however....on more than one occasion...chase serious tennis players off the courts...mostly out of fear for their lives....actually had a friend hit the ball at me, just miss my head, and it got stuck in the chain-link fence behind me

More was almost always merrier...I think the most we ever had was six to a side on two courts...most had never played tennis or were rank beginners, which limited their effectiveness, but it also made them pretty good targets...

 

[omega2xx]

I'd say the moon rocks were & are useful, but what is the cost v benefit ratio?
It's high indeed, at over $50K/gram.
The capability to collect such things remotely is increasing quickly, AI being key.

The only thing moon rocks proved is that the are rocks on the moon.

What is useful about moon rocks? They only need a small spaces in some museum.

What is the value in being better able to collect useless material?

A nation with a gazillion dollars in debt need to use its money more wisely.

 

[Revoltingest]

The only thing moon rocks proved is that the are rocks on the moon.

What is useful about moon rocks? They only need a small spaces in some museum.

What is the value in being better able to collect useless material?

A nation with a gazillion dollars in debt need to use its money more wisely.

I'm not familiar with the research value of moon rocks & soil.
Perhaps someone with quality gray matter will step up to inform us.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

The only thing moon rocks proved is that the are rocks on the moon.

What is useful about moon rocks? They only need a small spaces in some museum.

What is the value in being better able to collect useless material?

A nation with a gazillion dollars in debt need to use its money more wisely.

1) Among other things, the moon rocks proved that the moon is not made of green cheese. They have also helped develop an understanding of how the Earth and the moon developed. More in tune with the actual purposes of the space program, the moon rocks proved that the capitalism, freedom-loving nation of America was far superior to that communistic-socialistic freedom-hating USSR!

2) All knowledge gained must be useful in some immediate way? Improving technology overall is not a worthy goal? Beating them damn Commie Russkies wasn't important?

3) At the time, the US did not have "a gazillion dollars in debt." It did cost a great deal of money, but then so did the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty, the War on Drugs...etc. There were few lives lost or damaged in the Race to the Moon, while Vietnam and the war on drugs have had far more reaching costs compared to little effect gained. Meanwhile, the technologies developed and/or accelerated for the space program has over time greatly exceeded the initial costs of development and implementation.

 

[omega2xx]

1) Among other things, the moon rocks proved that the moon is not made of green cheese.

Then it was well worth the billions we have spent on our space program.

They have also helped develop an understanding of how the Earth and the moon developed.

No it didn't.

More in tune with the actual purposes of the space program, the moon rocks proved that the capitalism, freedom-loving nation of America was far superior to that communistic-socialistic freedom-hating USSR!

That may have been the greatest benefit of the space program, but is is now well established and does not need to be proved over and over and over.

2) All knowledge gained must be useful in some immediate way? Improving technology overall is not a worthy goal? Beating them damn Commie Russkies wasn't important?

That is also true, but what have learned in the past 10 years?

3) At the time, the US did not have "a gazillion dollars in debt." It did cost a great deal of money, but then so did the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty, the War on Drugs...etc.

But we do have that debt now and we lost the war in Vietnam; we are losing the war on poverty and on drugs. IMO we will never win the war on poverty and we need a different approach of fighting the war on drugs. Nothing we have done so far has helped.

There were few lives lost or damaged in the Race to the Moon, while Vietnam and the war on drugs have had far more reaching costs compared to little effect gained. Meanwhile, the technologies developed and/or accelerated for the space program has over time greatly exceeded the initial costs of development and implementation.

I acknowledge some of the benefits from the early years was very beneficial, but as the old saying goes, "what have you done for me lately?"

 

[Kilgore Trout]

The space program is an enormous waste of resources. We need to be spending our money on keeping as many people alive, who have no food and don't know how not to reproduce, and then spending the rest on devising better ways of killing them with flying robots.

 

[Revoltingest]

The space program is an enormous waste of resources. We need to be spending our money on keeping as many people alive, who have no food and don't know how not to reproduce, and then spending the rest on devising better ways of killing them with flying robots.

 

[shawn001]

The only thing moon rocks proved is that the are rocks on the moon.

What is useful about moon rocks? They only need a small spaces in some museum.

What is the value in being better able to collect useless material?

A nation with a gazillion dollars in debt need to use its money more wisely.

What the Moon Rocks Tell Us
By Kenneth F. Weaver
Ektachrome by Neil A. Armstrong, NASA
This article was originally published in the December 1969 issue of the magazine.


"
“When we opened that first box of moon rocks, the hushed, expectant atmosphere in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory was, I imagine, like that in a medieval monastery as the monks awaited the arrival of a fragment of the True Cross.”

Such keen anticipation, as described by Dr. Robin Brett, a NASA geologist on the team that first examined the lunar samples, is understandable. These were the most sought after, the most eagerly awaited, of all specimens in the history of science. Moreover, as some 500 scientists have labored in recent months to make every conceivable kind of test on them, the moon rocks and soil have become the most intensely studied of all scientific specimens."

Moon Rocks — National Geographic Magazine

"Lunar Rocks and Soils from Apollo Missions" NASA Curator

"
Between 1969 and 1972 six Apollo missions brought back 382 kilograms (842 pounds) of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust from the lunar surface. The six space flights returned 2200 separate samples from six different exploration sites on the Moon. In addition, three automated Soviet spacecraft returned important samples totaling 300 grams (approximately 3/4 pound) from three other lunar sites. The lunar sample building at Johnson Space Center is the chief repository for the Apollo samples. The lunar sample laboratory is where pristine lunar samples are prepared for shipment to scientists and educators. Nearly 400 samples are distributed each year for research and teaching projects.
Astronaut collecting lunar soil sample.

Study of rock and soil samples from the Moon continues to yield useful information about the early history of the Moon, the Earth, and the inner solar system. Recent computer models indicate that the Moon could have been formed from the debris resulting from the Earth being struck a glancing blow by a planetary body about the size of Mars. The chemical composition of the Moon, derived from studies of lunar rocks, is compatible with this theory of the origin of the Moon. We have learned that a crust formed on the Moon 4.4 billion years ago. This crust formation, the intense meteorite bombardment occurring afterward, and subsequent lava outpourings are recorded in the rocks. Radiation spewed out by the Sun since the formation of the Moon's crust, was trapped in the lunar soil as a permanent record of solar activity throughout this time.

https://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/


"What is the value in being better able to collect useless material?"

Moon potential goldmine of natural resources

https://phys.org/news/2009-07-moon-potential-goldmine-natural-resources.html

We have also learned how to 3-d print with the material to build lunar colonies.

Helium-3 could be a very important fuel source for humans.

"A nation with a gazillion dollars in debt need to use its money more wisely."

First, there are no stores in space all the money for the space program is spent on the ground creating jobs and employing people.

"Studies estimate a $7-$14return on investment for every $1 of NASA expenditure, with all of it going directly back into the U.S. Treasury."

5 Popular Misconceptions About NASA | HuffPost


NASA planning mission to an asteroid worth $10,000 quadrillion

"While NASA has no plans to bring the massive asteroid home and lacks the technology to mine it, Elkins-Tanton calculates that the iron in 16 Psyche would be worth $10,000 quadrillion, Global News reported. That's right, $10,000 quadrillion, as in 15 more zeros."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...on-asteroid-worth-10000-quadrillion/96709250/

And yes omega2xx, we know how our solar system formed, in fact, we are also observing other young stars form solar systems. And monitoring lots of other solar systems. Going to the moon and the moon rocks have been one of man's greatest achievements. For one day there was also basically peace on Earth as everyone watched and waited.

 

[shawn001]

Not to mention the space program being vitality important in monitoring Earth weather (saving billions of lives), space weather, asteroid detection,all communications, military defence monitoring our own planet, understanding physics, understanding the solar system, our galaxy, galaxies, and the entire universe. Not to mention the beauty and inspiration as well.

One of the best reasons we go into space is in this video and its not about what's out there in deep space. So if you want to say what has it done for me recently watch this.


Earth From Space Full HD Nova
The groundbreaking two-hour special that reveals a spectacular new space-based vision of our planet. Produced in extensive consultation with NASA scientists, NOVA takes data from earth-observing satellites and transforms it into dazzling visual sequences, each one exposing the intricate and surprising web of forces that sustains life on earth.

 

[shawn001]

Space is where we are from and earth is our home in it for the moment.

 

[omega2xx]

What the Moon Rocks Tell Us
By Kenneth F. Weaver
Ektachrome by Neil A. Armstrong, NASA
This article was originally published in the December 1969 issue of the magazine.


"
“When we opened that first box of moon rocks, the hushed, expectant atmosphere in the Lunar Receiving Laboratory was, I imagine, like that in a medieval monastery as the monks awaited the arrival of a fragment of the True Cross.”

Such keen anticipation, as described by Dr. Robin Brett, a NASA geologist on the team that first examined the lunar samples, is understandable. These were the most sought after, the most eagerly awaited, of all specimens in the history of science. Moreover, as some 500 scientists have labored in recent months to make every conceivable kind of test on them, the moon rocks and soil have become the most intensely studied of all scientific specimens."

Moon Rocks — National Geographic Magazine

"Lunar Rocks and Soils from Apollo Missions" NASA Curator

"
Between 1969 and 1972 six Apollo missions brought back 382 kilograms (842 pounds) of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust from the lunar surface. The six space flights returned 2200 separate samples from six different exploration sites on the Moon. In addition, three automated Soviet spacecraft returned important samples totaling 300 grams (approximately 3/4 pound) from three other lunar sites. The lunar sample building at Johnson Space Center is the chief repository for the Apollo samples. The lunar sample laboratory is where pristine lunar samples are prepared for shipment to scientists and educators. Nearly 400 samples are distributed each year for research and teaching projects.
Astronaut collecting lunar soil sample.

Study of rock and soil samples from the Moon continues to yield useful information about the early history of the Moon, the Earth, and the inner solar system. Recent computer models indicate that the Moon could have been formed from the debris resulting from the Earth being struck a glancing blow by a planetary body about the size of Mars. The chemical composition of the Moon, derived from studies of lunar rocks, is compatible with this theory of the origin of the Moon. We have learned that a crust formed on the Moon 4.4 billion years ago. This crust formation, the intense meteorite bombardment occurring afterward, and subsequent lava outpourings are recorded in the rocks. Radiation spewed out by the Sun since the formation of the Moon's crust, was trapped in the lunar soil as a permanent record of solar activity throughout this time.

https://curator.jsc.nasa.gov/lunar/


"What is the value in being better able to collect useless material?"

Moon potential goldmine of natural resources

https://phys.org/news/2009-07-moon-potential-goldmine-natural-resources.html

We have also learned how to 3-d print with the material to build lunar colonies.

Helium-3 could be a very important fuel source for humans.

"A nation with a gazillion dollars in debt need to use its money more wisely."

First, there are no stores in space all the money for the space program is spent on the ground creating jobs and employing people.

"Studies estimate a $7-$14return on investment for every $1 of NASA expenditure, with all of it going directly back into the U.S. Treasury."

5 Popular Misconceptions About NASA | HuffPost


NASA planning mission to an asteroid worth $10,000 quadrillion

"While NASA has no plans to bring the massive asteroid home and lacks the technology to mine it, Elkins-Tanton calculates that the iron in 16 Psyche would be worth $10,000 quadrillion, Global News reported. That's right, $10,000 quadrillion, as in 15 more zeros."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech...on-asteroid-worth-10000-quadrillion/96709250/

And yes omega2xx, we know how our solar system formed, in fact, we are also observing other young stars form solar systems. And monitoring lots of other solar systems. Going to the moon and the moon rocks have been one of man's greatest achievements. For one day there was also basically peace on Earth as everyone watched and waited.

Getting the rocks was a great a achievement and probably a important one. However it did not tell us anything about how our solar system was formed. Even if it did, how does that help mankind today. If continued space flight did help solve some of mankind's problems it would be worth the money, but it doesn't.

There has never been a day since Adam and Eve ate the fig, that there has been peace on earth.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

Wanting to send people into space is inspiring, but impractical.
(Humans are fragile, & scientific knowledge is best gained by remote sensing & non-manned probes.)
A better use of our resources is to defend what we have...a really wonderful (if slightly used & abused) planet.
The big one (dino killing size) should be detected far enuf in advance to deflect it into a safe path.
Progress on that.....
NASA unveils plan to test asteroid defense technique
From the article....
On Friday, the space agency announced plans to redirect the course of a small asteroid approaching Earth, as part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), according to a NASA press release.

More National Headlines

• Asteroid Day: Monitoring skies for next strike
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The release notes that asteroids hit Earth nearly every day, but most are small enough to burn up in the atmosphere.

[RELATED: SpaceX preps for third launch | Where to watch rocket launches on the Space Coast]

But the DART project -- a joint effort between NASA and the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland -- is for the asteroids that are too big to break up -- those that could have severe consequences for the Earth if they hit.

If the space program is not important, we should probably get the government out of it.

If it is important, we should definitely get government out of it!

 

[Revoltingest]

If the space program is not important, we should probably get the government out of it.
If it is important, we should definitely get government out of it!

Things are heading more in the direction of private sector involvement.