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[Aklyon]

Curiosity and Cassini will be shut down due to budget cuts by 2015-2016

Why does NASA get all the budget cuts.

Easy target. Republicans block any reduction of the military or tax rises, paranoia blocks any cut to Homeland security, Democrats block any reduction of social security.

So basically its just congress continiung its current stupid trend. That works.

[Tack]

The issue with space is that it still just isn't feasible.
Back in the age of exploration people would happily go years without seeing a ship because they could trust that whoever was on it would go to some far-off land, trade some supplies for exotics, bring the exotics back and be completely reimbursed.

If we had a system for completely stripping asteroids of platinum and bringing it back, that would make NASA a lot more popular.
Even better if we had a new super-element somewhere out there.

[Bauglir]

The issue with space is that it still just isn't feasible.

And the issue with that argument is that it never will be feasible until people are willing to take a short-term loss on it.

Not to mention all the stuff NASA actually does make in the process of the whole space thing.

[Sirus]

The issue with space is that it still just isn't feasible.

And the issue with that argument is that it never will be feasible until people are willing to take a short-term loss on it.

Not to mention all the stuff NASA actually does make in the process of the whole space thing.

This. I'm sure way back in the wind-and-canvass era there were plenty of people who thought exploring the ocean was a pointless waste of time and resources, and look how well that turned out!

[MaximumZero]

The issue with space is that it still just isn't feasible.

And the issue with that argument is that it never will be feasible until people are willing to take a short-term loss on it.

Not to mention all the stuff NASA actually does make in the process of the whole space thing.

This. I'm sure way back in the wind-and-canvass era there were plenty of people who thought exploring the ocean was a pointless waste of time and resources, and look how well that turned out!

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and state that some of my ancestors probably don't think it turned out too well.

[Sirus]

The issue with space is that it still just isn't feasible.

And the issue with that argument is that it never will be feasible until people are willing to take a short-term loss on it.

Not to mention all the stuff NASA actually does make in the process of the whole space thing.

This. I'm sure way back in the wind-and-canvass era there were plenty of people who thought exploring the ocean was a pointless waste of time and resources, and look how well that turned out!

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and state that some of my ancestors probably don't think it turned out too well.

I meant for the people sending the ships out. Besides, so far as we know we won't have to worry about such things with asteroid mining.

[MaximumZero]

The issue with space is that it still just isn't feasible.

And the issue with that argument is that it never will be feasible until people are willing to take a short-term loss on it.

Not to mention all the stuff NASA actually does make in the process of the whole space thing.

This. I'm sure way back in the wind-and-canvass era there were plenty of people who thought exploring the ocean was a pointless waste of time and resources, and look how well that turned out!

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and state that some of my ancestors probably don't think it turned out too well.

I meant for the people sending the ships out. Besides, so far as we know we won't have to worry about such things with asteroid mining.

Given people being people, we should always assume the worst.

[MaximumZero]

Pardon my ignorance, but for a project that largely revolves around driving a remote rover around, analyzing samples, and interpreting the results, exactly where is the expense that they need to cut the project? I get that it takes a staff of highly trained, intelligent people to man, maneuver, and interpret Curiosity's results, and that means healthy wages and equipment upkeep, but really, where is the big expense?

I hate this. What's the point in dumping all of our money into security and support for the baby boomers when there's nothing left in our "secure," "healthy" state? It's like building a keep and dying slowly inside, with only cold stone walls, stands of armor, and a tiny, tinkly fire to find meaning in. I get that each needs funding, but does each need the whole budget?

That's not ignorance, you've hit the nail on the head.

[10ebbor10]

There's no big expense. Curiosity costs 50 million USD per year in upkeep. That pays for ground station maintenance, personnel, and back-up rovers (When the interplanetary rover gets stuck, you kind-off want to try things out on Earth first to see it they'll work).

The issue with space is that it still just isn't feasible.

And the issue with that argument is that it never will be feasible until people are willing to take a short-term loss on it.
Not to mention all the stuff NASA actually does make in the process of the whole space thing.

That very same argument also accounts for all fundamental science, and the majority of most human inventions. Truly, it has more holes in it than Swiss Cheese. You don't need asteroid mining for space to become profitable, or anything else like that. ((Additionally, it is feasible. I mean Curiosity did land on Mars, after all.))

Point is, the basic economic return of Space investments  lies somewhere between 2-5$ per dollar.

[Baffler]

Trouble is, the costs go up a hundredfold if we want to do anything more complex. God help your pocketbook if you want to send people to some other celestial body. I'm not saying we shouldn't be putting that money in, or that America doesn't spend too much on the military, but most of the people who have the capital to fund a mission to space are generally unwilling to do so.

[Bauglir]

Yeah, well, we've collectively got it into our heads that the correct solution is the most "intuitive". Want to be safe? Pay a bunch of guys to kill people you feel threatened by. Want to be rich? Lower the biggest bill you pay at once in the year (taxes). Want to reduce government spending so you can do this? Science is just an exercise in egotism, after all.

[AlleeCat]

America is basically the biggest collective joke in the universe.

[Bauglir]

Mind you, when I said "we", I meant "most people", not just Americans. Ambition helps temper the problem a lot, but that always loses steam once you've grown up being told you live in the best country in the world, which is why America's such a good exemplar of this. Still, it'll happen to just about any dominant culture, eventually. What's left to achieve when you're on top? All your efforts become centered on maintaining the status quo, which inevitably fails because that's not how you got the status quo to happen in the first place.

[10ebbor10]

Trouble is, the costs go up a hundredfold if we want to do anything more complex. God help your pocketbook if you want to send people to some other celestial body. I'm not saying we shouldn't be putting that money in, or that America doesn't spend too much on the military, but most of the people who have the capital to fund a mission to space are generally unwilling to do so.

Hundred-fold is a gross exaggeration. Merely doubling the budget would suffice.

Besides, sending people to other places, while interesting, is not the primary goal of any space organization. Robots can be build at the fraction of the cost, and go farther. Honestly, I don't want a ticket to Mars, but currently the situation is becoming silly.

[Sergarr]

You also may remember that NASA allowed everyone on the internet the opportunity to have their name stored on the MSL's computer. EDIT: My name, and the names of thousands of others, are now on Mars!

Buried and forgotten on the Mars, it looks like.

Curiosity killed the cat, after all.

This is stupid. Now I feel sad.