Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 73080
Eeeeeeeeeeeeexactly.
14th Oct 2021 1:29 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
I see Space Tourism as a means to an end. It's an attempt to make people want space-related projects to happen. It's advertising, in effect.
Getting off this rock in a meaningful way is important, not least because it's a finite resource and there is a lot of resource available elsewhere that would allow the Earth's environment to not be harvested further. Getting out the gravity well is the tricky bit because it takes so much energy and hence fuel. Once you're in orbit, going elsewhere is relatively simple in terms of energy requirements and thus resources.
If one wants to limit anthropogenic environmental impact, it would be much, much better to limit human reproduction. Someone having a couple of kids results in a lot more damage to the environment than a few rich people going for a sub-orbital jolly.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
14th Oct 2021 2:20 pm
JordsDisco
Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1614
Indeed, however I can’t see we are going to successfully limit human reproduction anywhere in the world, let alone the UK. The only way it’s going to happen is by self limiting natural causes.
On the other matter there’s a massive difference between a space tourist and an astronaut. It’s a tenuous link accepting and allowing allowing positive advertising via the medium of space tourism as a means to further space exploration. If space exploration is to happen on a commercial basis, it will be because it’s more economic to send a rocket up.
I also believe that we have to allow the earth to repair if that’s possible rather than chase after harvesting on other planets. Let’s face it, that’s centuries away at best. It’s been 50 years since we landed a man on the moon and we aren’t a lot further on. The ways it’s going the Earth will be dead long before that comes to fruition.
14th Oct 2021 3:30 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
Sorry, but this "the Earth will be dead" stuff is just ridiculous hyperbole. Life on this planet has lived through far worse than what we are doing to it - after all, we are here partly because a huge lump of rock smashed in to the planet 65m year ago and wiped out 75% of all species and allowed mammals to develop and succeed. And that's just the latest one. There were at least 4 other mass extinction events in Earth's history with one - the largest being the End-Permian Extinction where it is estimated that up to 90% of all species were wiped out. So, no, the Earth will not be dead by our hands.
As for harvesting stuff from off-planet being a long time away - compared to "letting the Earth heal" it's a brief moment. Forests take many decades / hundreds of years to develop and so will take that long to make good the damage caused by human activities.
The only reason we haven't been back to the Moon is purely down to political will. It's not cost, as some would have us believe, because humans spend $2.7 trillion a year on bombs and bullets. Compare USA defence budget - $778 billion. NASA's budget - $22 billion. The Apollo programme was killed off because the American public had got bored with it (it was considered routine by the time that Apollo 17 landed, amazing to think), and the US were deep in to the Vietnam War which was sucking up money and resources at a silly rate, not to say anything about the number of men being killed. And there were social pressures too:
Quote:
"Whitey on the Moon"
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arms began to swell.
(and Whitey's on the moon)
I can't pay no doctor bill.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Ten years from now I'll be paying still.
(while Whitey's on the moon)
The man just upped my rent last night.
('cause Whitey's on the moon)
No hot water, no toilets, no lights.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
I wonder why he's upping me?
('cause Whitey's on the moon?)
I wuz already paying him fifty a week.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Taxes taking my whole damn check,
Junkies making me a nervous wreck,
The price of food is going up,
An' as if all that was't enough:
A rat done bit my sister Nell.
(with Whitey on the moon)
Her face and arm began to swell.
(but Whitey's on the moon)
Was all that money I made last year
(for Whitey on the moon?)
How come there ain't no money here?
(Hmm! Whitey's on the moon)
Y'know I just about had my fill
(of Whitey on the moon)
I think I'll send these doctor bills,
Airmail special
(to Whitey on the moon)
So, we can easily do space stuff if we want to, it just needs the will.Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
14th Oct 2021 4:13 pm
Scott #55
Member Since: 15 Apr 2015
Location: UK
Posts: 1683
I was only wondering if he got his end away……
14th Oct 2021 4:37 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
You've been on this forum long enough to know what happens here... Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
14th Oct 2021 5:43 pm
JordsDisco
Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1614
Oh well, you have one point of view and I another, we could each pick away at the others arguments and get absolutely no where.
14th Oct 2021 6:15 pm
Rescue01
Member Since: 14 Jan 2008
Location: Aberdeen
Posts: 2516
Scott #55 wrote:
I was only wondering if he got his end away……
Its not the height of the fall but the sudden stop at the bottom that hurts!!
14th Oct 2021 6:37 pm
RRSTDV8
Member Since: 07 Apr 2014
Location: Here
Posts: 13541
JordsDisco wrote:
Oh well, you have one point of view and I another, we could each pick away at the others arguments and get absolutely no where.
We could discuss them and see if there is stuff we can learn from each other. Visiting from rrsport.co.uk
2012 RRS SDV6
2008 RRS TDV8
"When you fire that first shot, no matter how right you feel, you have no idea who's going to die! You don't know who's children are going to scream and burn. How many hearts will be broken. How many lives shattered. How much blood will spill, until everybody does what they were always going to have to do from the very beginning: SIT DOWN AND TALK!"
2015 Volvo V40
2014 D4 HSE
2006 RRS - C'est mort. Fin... ...It's alive! Oh no, it's not - scrapped.
2019 Suzuki Kingquad 400
2017 RamRod Taskmaster 1150
1977 John Deere 2130
15th Oct 2021 6:35 am
JordsDisco
Member Since: 22 May 2020
Location: Newcastle
Posts: 1614
Thanks, but I’ve seen enough “debates” on here to know both of us would expend time and energy justifying our stance, quoting competing sources, statistics and neither would have their minds changed. I can’t think of a single debate I’ve read on site that had that outcome. It normally ends in frustration and insult.
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was't enough:
You've been on this forum long enough to know what happens here... 
