Menu
- Move on: Dems should focus on own platform (5/22/19)
- Major investigation seeks origin of collusion charge (5/18/19)
- Golfer teaches a lesson in overcoming adversity (5/15/19)
- Higher ed costs for illegal immigrants shouldn’t fall on the taxpayer (5/11/19)
- Dems ignore how great the economy is doing (5/8/19)
- Indonesian election ballot hand-count turns deadly (5/4/19)
- Survey says: Life moves fast, enjoy every day (5/1/19)
Opinion
Taxing minds, money on space is waste
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
OK, so now we're headed to Mars. Or at least that's what the NASA officials said Monday. Our plan is to put a man on Mars by 2037 and to use the international space station as an outer space rest stop along the way.
President Bush a couple of years back said that man will return to the moon in 2020 and that would be the first step toward exploring Mars. We actually have a spacecraft scheduled to land on the northern plains of Mars next year simply to determine if that great Red Planet can support life.
You'll notice there are several steps before this 2037 event unfolds. My calendar says I would theoretically turn 90 that year so chances are iffy if I will be around for the landing.
We're not alone on this quest for Mars. Our friends the Russians just sent 10 gerbils into space for a voyage to help test the abilities of humans to withstand the time required to make the Mars journey. Gerbils?
I'm as excited as the next guy when it comes to space travel. I am thrilled that we have people intelligent enough to tackle such massive tasks. And I recognize that some of the things we've learned from our past space travels have made their way into our daily lives.
But here's my problem and it seems I always have a problem. NASA says they have challenged 2,000 of the sharpest minds on the Earth to achieve this goal of a Mars landing. No one yet has put a price tag on this undertaking but let's just assume the cost will be measured in the multi-billions. I think that is a safe assumption.
So why not challenge those 2,000 sharpest minds and give them virtually an open checkbook and let them tackle cancer? The question is simple in my mind: Is it more difficult to travel to Mars safely and return than it is to find a substantial cure for cancer? I frankly don't know the answer. But isn't it worth the effort and money?
Maybe the future does indeed reside in space. Who am I to question that premise? But it seems to me that cancer (as just one example) impacts more lives than the prospect of space travel. So why not put those bright experts and those unlimited funds to work on something that will bring tangible benefits today?