Reply #2: Bush's Moonbase

[JPZenger]

The next time you hear someone pleading with people to donate to the food bank because the needs have greatly increased,

The next time you are stuck in traffic congestion because there is not enough funding to improve a road,

The next time your kids need special help in school, but the teacher is overwhelmed because the class sizes are too large, or your school needs to hold classes in closets because of lack of space,

The next time you get your real estate tax bill and wonder how you are going to pay the increased taxes,

The next time your local library cuts back its hours because of lack of funding,

The next time your house gets burglarized by a drug addict who couldn't get treatment because of a lack of funding -

Then decide whether the U.S. really has $800 BILLION to spare to send a couple guys to Mars.

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Some people are saying that if we spend hundreds of billions to go to Mars, maybe there will be some scientific breakthrough that might justify some of the expense.

If we really want to advance science and technology, I believe we would be much better off developing technologies that we KNOW have direct applicability to improving the world - such as the types of renewable energy sources that could be available for cars with zero air pollution. Or, we could commit that $800 billion to curing cancer.
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It will cost 100 times as much to have a space craft take 2 people to Mars as to have an unmanned craft accomplish the same mission. Among other reasons, this increased cost is because of the need to have a higher level of safety and to provide life support systems, and also to return the craft to Earth.

Do we really care whether the photos from Mars are coming from a robot or from a camera held by a person?