Future of Space exploration?

Skellig said:
Of course, when we create new problems, it will come back to bite us. Just look at our current concern with fuel.
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There is no current issue with fuel, we have nuclear technology, we almost have fusion ... the only "issue" are the ******* moronic politicians, the ******* inbred "anti-nuclear" nuts and the equally retarded NIMBYs
 
Are people forgetting that space exploration helps us on Earth too?

We can benefit from loads of technologies that are needed in space.

Better solar panels, life support systems, better construction materials.

We need space exploration more than ever. To say it's pointless is, well I can't even put it into words!
 
While the future looks grim in respect to NASA and the west's prospects for further space exploration, perhaps there's a possibility China and India may enter into a new space race that'll see a level of progress not seen since the darkest days of the Cold War, when the US and Soviet Union went balls out to out-do one another.
 
We've had the 'space' age, we're now coming to the peak of the 'Techological' age (or computer age as some call it)

Were going to come to a complete stop in progress until we completely sort out our energy requirements. There wasn't a chance to get further then Mars on fossel fuels anyway. What we need is something short revolutionary in terms of energy, something that dirt cheap, endless and plentiful for 1000's of years. Then we can continue to advance into the future.
 
The problem with space exploration is that we are basically grounded by our relatively primitive means of deriving energy. Sure we have fission reactors and most likely fusion reactors in the near future, but what are they really? Nothing more than glorified steam engines as at the end of the day all they do is turn a turbine. In some regards a modern reactor is no more advanced than the steam trains of the 1800s. Until we can find a method to draw large quantities of power directly from a reaction, our chances of going anywhere in space are very limited.

Currently we use chemical rockets to get from A to B, but the amount of fuel required to even get them into orbit is astronomical (forgive the pun).

I would love to see real space exploration in my lifetime, but even if there was total peace on earth, and we sorted all our problems out, we still wouldn't have the means to really get out there and look around.

So with that reality in mind I can understand why in these tough economic times that space exploration" is viewed as a luxury and has it's funding cut accordingly. Regretable, but the truth none the less.
 
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rypt said:
Um, hello nuclear fission and later fusion ...
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Current fission reactors have a power to weight ratio 100 times too low to be really useful.
It's laughable that "scientists" are researching AI control for spacecraft yet are still using primitive chemical propulsion. Anyone practically minded would agree that until we get ion engines that can fire off particles at 0.99C with decent efficiency and low weight reactors to power them, everything else is pointless.

A 3 year mission to Mars is just ridiculous. A decent ion engine should get to Mars in 3 weeks.
 
After the mess we have made of our own planet i think mankind should be banned from travelling out into the cosmos. God knows what damage will be wrought if we're allowed to spread.
 
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