Time To Stop The Obsession With Space Travel?

[lil-minx92 10]

Given the issues of climate change which appears to be becoming an emergency, is it time for all countries to put space exploration on hold and ban the development of space tourism? It seems a little extravagant and a total waste of our earths resources.  

Also, how about ban business class air travel & just fit as many seats on a plane as is safe?

[hauxwell 243]

I don’t think we should stop space exploration.  There was something on the news a few weeks ago about the discovery of a new planet and scientist say they have detected water on it,  they believe it could support life.  They are working on a new super telescope which will help to confirm their findings.  I’m not sure what to think about space tourism, it could be one way of training more Astronauts.

 

We have some experts saying the earth is doomed, although I have no idea what to believe on that one.  Best to carry on looking for a new planet just in case.  

Edited September 20, 2019 by hauxwell

[Annie Bynnol 612]

4 hours ago, lil-minx92 said:

Given the issues of climate change which appears to be becoming an emergency, is it time for all countries to put space exploration on hold and ban the development of space tourism? It seems a little extravagant and a total waste of our earths resources.  

Also, how about ban business class air travel & just fit as many seats on a plane as is safe?

I don't understand why you pick on others.

Space tourism is practically non-existent.

Business and First class travel help to reduce many normal fares considerably as well as increasing airline profitability and investment in modern fleets.

 

I could equally pick on a group that drive old inefficient non-recyclable vehicles who make short journeys  when alternatives are available or the Environmentalists who prevent 24hr airport operation or the F1 business/sport etc.  I won't, though as all these activities involve more complicated arguments.

 

Asking others to change their habits while not doing somethings ourselves does not solve our problems.

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

5 hours ago, lil-minx92 said:

Given the issues of climate change which appears to be becoming an emergency, is it time for all countries to put space exploration on hold and ban the development of space tourism? It seems a little extravagant and a total waste of our earths resources.  

Also, how about ban business class air travel & just fit as many seats on a plane as is safe?

It's called Evolution, it's what humans do and will continue to do until this tiny Planet we inhabit ceases to exist.

 

Angel1.

[Jim Hardie 523]

4 hours ago, hauxwell said:

I don’t think we should stop space exploration.  There was something on the news a few weeks ago about the discovery of a new planet and scientist say they have detected water on it,  they believe it could support life.  They are working on a new super telescope which will help to confirm their findings.  I’m not sure what to think about space tourism, it could be one way of training more Astronauts.

 

We have some experts saying the earth is doomed, although I have no idea what to believe on that one.  Best to carry on looking for a new planet just in case.  

And a mere 20 light years away. When we can travel at the speed of light, a one way ticket might be affordable. Bring your own food.

[muddycoffee 10]

1 hour ago, ANGELFIRE1 said:

It's called Evolution, it's what humans do and will continue to do until this tiny Planet we inhabit ceases to exist.

Our species has evolved in the past, But no longer.  For evolution to work we would need only the strong and most healthy people, or those that were the most impressive in terms of leadership, intelligence or other measure to have children. Nowadays with medical advances, people with health problems and lack of fertility can also have children which can be supported by healthcare to maturity.

 

Essentially if everyone can choose to have children, then evolution has stopped.

[muddycoffee 10]

22 minutes ago, Jim Hardie said:

And a mere 20 light years away. When we can travel at the speed of light, a one way ticket might be affordable. Bring your own food.

Exactly correct. The average journalist and person on the Clapham omnibus has no concept of the vastness of space. Our species will be extinct long before we can work out how to successfully travel a distance as big as that without dying.

Buck Rogers and Star Treck is never going to be reality. This planet "Earth" is where the entirety of the story of Homo Sapiens is going to be acted out. From emergence to extinction. We will be very lucky if humans finish up existing one tenth of the duration of the dinosaurs. Most species are but a blink of an eye to this planet.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

17 minutes ago, muddycoffee said:

Our species has evolved in the past, But no longer.  For evolution to work we would need only the strong and most healthy people, or those that were the most impressive in terms of leadership, intelligence or other measure to have children. Nowadays with medical advances, people with health problems and lack of fertility can also have children which can be supported by healthcare to maturity.

 

Essentially if everyone can choose to have children, then evolution has stopped.

It is all really about timescales of change- it's not the strongest that survive, nor is it the healthiest, it's the fittest that survive -which is very, very different thing.*

Humans will continue to evolve to survive in their new habitats. Failure to adapt is the route to extinction.

 

The strong and healthy men who survived the Great War died in their millions during the influenza epidemic that followed.

Those who survived succeeded because of their immunity which they passed on. 

It was relatively short time ago that most peoples on this planet adapted to overcome lactose intolerance enabling a huge increase in food availability.

A very useful future adaptation would be one where are immune system is able to react to threats faster but without damaging our body.

 

Whatever the changes the future brings on, mutation and selection will still be changing us little by little and always in the direction of successful breeding.

 

*the assumption that selection of the strong and healthy is associated with Evolution is scientifically wrong  but a favourite of Science Fiction the Eugenics promoted by the far right.

 

[Jim Hardie 523]

1 hour ago, muddycoffee said:

Exactly correct. The average journalist and person on the Clapham omnibus has no concept of the vastness of space. Our species will be extinct long before we can work out how to successfully travel a distance as big as that without dying.

Buck Rogers and Star Treck is never going to be reality. This planet "Earth" is where the entirety of the story of Homo Sapiens is going to be acted out. From emergence to extinction. We will be very lucky if humans finish up existing one tenth of the duration of the dinosaurs. Most species are but a blink of an eye to this planet.

Nicely put, almost poetic!

 

 

Edited September 20, 2019 by Jim Hardie

[muddycoffee 10]

12 hours ago, Annie Bynnol said:

It is all really about timescales of change- it's not the strongest that survive, nor is it the healthiest, it's the fittest that survive -which is very, very different thing.*

Humans will continue to evolve to survive in their new habitats. Failure to adapt is the route to extinction.

 

….

A very useful future adaptation would be one where are immune system is able to react to threats faster but without damaging our body.

 

Whatever the changes the future brings on, mutation and selection will still be changing us little by little and always in the direction of successful breeding.

 

*the assumption that selection of the strong and healthy is associated with Evolution is scientifically wrong  but a favourite of Science Fiction the Eugenics promoted by the far right.

 

Survive in terms of evolution means only getting old enough to be able to reproduce, this is not necessary very long.

 

Adaptation of immune system is unlikely to happen while we have medicine to treat people to prevent them from becoming infected. The same genes perpetuate to the next generation and no significant evolution occurs, unless mass gene editing becomes ethically acceptable and effective.

 

I still maintain that people in the developed world have stopped "evolving" as many medical issues can be overcome. Although it will be interesting to see what effect people having children into older age will do to the genetics of their offspring.

 

I agree that Eugenics is a poisonous subject and I have always noted it interesting that so many people who advocate that certain people have less worth, are not particularly glorious specimens of physical humanity themselves.

[tinfoilhat 11]

We are going to run out of helium at some point. If memory serves, we can’t get hold of any more in the planet, it’s finite. Nearest source? The moon.

[Annie Bynnol 612]

6 minutes ago, muddycoffee said:

Survive in terms of evolution means only getting old enough to be able to reproduce, this is not necessary very long.

 

Adaptation of immune system is unlikely to happen while we have medicine to treat people to prevent them from becoming infected. The same genes perpetuate to the next generation and no significant evolution occurs, unless mass gene editing becomes ethically acceptable and effective.

 

I still maintain that people in the developed world have stopped "evolving" as many medical issues can be overcome. Although it will be interesting to see what effect people having children into older age will do to the genetics of their offspring.

 

I agree that Eugenics is a poisonous subject and I have always noted it interesting that so many people who advocate that certain people have less worth, are not particularly glorious specimens of physical humanity themselves.

For nearly every mammal and bird survival to reproductive age is insufficient to guarantee that offspring survive.

For that "set of genes" to survive into further generations, not only does the offspring have to survive but it has to be looked after until it reaches reproductive age. And even then have a set of adaptations that gives it the best chance in selecting a partner.

 

Behaviour and habit are also part of the process of Evolution. So the success of the Human species must be due to the genes which select for this behaviour.

 

 

Most people do not have access to medicines that work. Medicines that work now will often not work in the future. 

Every generation discovers new groups of pathogens and every year new species of pathogens are found and they evolve much faster than us.

There is no effective medical attack (globally available) on the AIDS viruses.

There is effective treatment and suppression of HIV symptoms available to the very few people who can afford it.

In the very short time since AIDS began there is evidence now of natural immunity in a few people. 

When the cause of this immunity is identified, it can be exploited by science and lead to a mass attack on HIV or even the AIDS viruses.

 

Through the mechanism of Evolution,  human society has evolved to the point where we understand some of our environment, this has led to now being able to exploit the classical mechanisms of Evolution -this is how Evolution will continue to impact on us now,  in the future and until ...