are we still in the space age?

[Pandora]

With that kind of attitude you should be asking yourselves \"what's the point of civilization anyway, can't we all just slip back into our tribal way of living?\"

Humans ask questions, humans explore. That's just what we do.

I don't think we should not go into space. Space *is* pretty cool. But it shouldn't be top priority with regard spending. There are other things to explore that will provide more advancement for less money. We don't even fully understand our own planet yet. We don't understand our brains. We don't understand biology, etc.

[Spaceboy]

I don't think we should not go into space. Space *is* pretty cool. But it shouldn't be top priority with regard spending. There are other things to explore that will provide more advancement for less money. We don't even fully understand our own planet yet. We don't understand our brains. We don't understand biology, etc.

Cheap genomes are actually on the horizon. They are, more or less, advancing at a pace comparative with computer technology since sequencing them is so dependent on computers.

While that doesn't exactly mean we automatically understand biology, I'm saying that biology is coming along much faster than anything else at this moment in time.

Many fields of research and exploration are actively being pursued with as much vigor that space has.

You could look at NASA and you might think that money is being wasted and that you could pull money from NASA to accelerate other fields of research... In reality there are 100's of other, better places to pull wasteful funding from. Don't put blinders on and look only in the direction of research expenditures.

Space exploration is important and although the government is inefficient with handling it, it'll have to stay that way until being in space becomes profitable.

[snoopy]

In another thread someone mentioned that we had not colonized the Arctic or the bottom of the sea yet.

A little bit of a de-rail but....

If I got to pick my own exotic place to live, I'd totally pick the bottom of the ocean before space.

[Isaac]

In another thread someone mentioned that we had not colonized the Arctic or the bottom of the sea yet.

A little bit of a de-rail but....

If I got to pick my own exotic place to live, I'd totally pick the bottom of the ocean before space.

Go for a nice "land side" view apartment?

[Kilarin]

If I got to pick my own exotic place to live, I'd totally pick the bottom of the ocean before space.

Would be cool. but apparently not enough people are willing to pay enough to cover the liability. A problem that space colonization will have as well.

You can't really colonize dangerous places until people are willing to accept more risks without the right to sue.

[Pandora]

Space exploration is important and although the government is inefficient with handling it, it'll have to stay that way until being in space becomes profitable.

hmm, what chances do you see in space exploration that would justify the huge costs?

[Spaceboy]

Space exploration is important and although the government is inefficient with handling it, it'll have to stay that way until being in space becomes profitable.

hmm, what chances do you see in space exploration that would justify the huge costs?

Well.. as I said earlier

On the flip side, I don't think the space age starts until we find or make a steady source of fuel that can be made or harvested while not on a planet, to avoid expending most of it during liftoff.

...Once a reliable fuel source is found or can consistently be made in space.

I'm not too worried about that. A place to mine fuel would speed up the entire process, but converting solar energy into something that can be used for propulsion probably isn't an impossible thing to ask for.