In the aftermath of Kony 2012, let's give NASA some love

[rossmum]

Friend was inspired to start something in support of NASA, given their recent budget woes and the fact that NASA's progress is really something people need to bring them together. We're still hammering out details, but I thought I'd drop a heads-up here just to see if there's any interest in supporting this when it happens; we're currently looking at next year (which gives us time to try work out how to best make this actually happen).

What can you actually do at the moment? Get other people interested and sit tight for further developments. Here's a good way to get people into it:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wJYpRJQVbo

I personally intend on throwing as much cash as I can spare into this once we've got the ball rolling, but without people spreading the word and being ready for it, my few hundred dollars and week or so of living off shoe leather won't do much. By all means, if you guys have ideas, throw them into the ring. Let's actually do something.

The main idea behind this is that NASA's current budget (not even pocket change in the US budget, and yet they 'can't afford' it) is $18.7b, 0.53% of the US budget. If this can get out to about a billion people and they give five dollars each, that's another half again of their current budget. If less people give more or more people give a similar amount then that's still a very significant amount, and it's not an uncertain investment. The issue is whether NASA can actually accept this or not, being a government body, but we're working at it. At the very least we could get a lot of people to harass politicians about it if they can't send money directly (both of these actions obviously being the ideal scenario).

Considering how eagerly people will hurl cash at an almost abstractly vague objective with no guaranteed return, we're hoping this will get off the ground.

You can probably see from how scattered my thoughts are that this only just became a thing and we're only just beginning to think about it, but fuck, the more people onboard the sooner the better, right?

[Bodzilla]

douns good count me in

[dark navi]

Let's do it.

[Kornman00]

Neil was on The Daily Show not too long ago (pretty sure the first minute or so is a sound clip from the interview). He noted at the fact that TDS's globe is spinning backwards, to which John said they'd fix it. Fast forward to today and it still isn't fixed. HOW CAN WE FUND NASA WHEN TDS WON'T FIX THEIR GLOBE??

If only the Taliban or Iran had a space program *sigh*

[TVTyrant]

The narrator was on Bill Maher not long ago.

Dude was absolutely livid that Obama cut NASA's funding.

I don't have any cash to spare, but I wish my taxes went to things that are important like NASA. I want to see a man on Mars by the end of my lifetime.

[DarkHalo003]

Space has so many possibilities, even if we can't exactly reach planets so far away. For instance, plastic/trash pollution could be solved if we created a machine that takes all of the shit from the dumps (and what not) and goes into space where it can burn all of it without causing a shit-ton of pollutants to fill the air like shit did during the Industrial Revolution. Basically, a trash incinerator that can launch into space.

It's kind of funny when I think about it; Obama/Congress/current administration have done so much that I found considerably erroneous, but out of everything I find the cut-back of NASA to be the worst of all.

[Cortexian]

Alternatively, NASA should move itself to Canada or some nation that cares less about its military and more about important things.

[TVTyrant]

Or you guys could, you know, make your own Space Association and spend your own damn money on it.

Just a thought vOv

[DarkHalo003]

Or you guys could, you know, make your own Space Association and spend your own damn money on it.

Just a thought vOv
Or the U.S. and Canada could work together financially. :P

[Tnnaas]

Because they are both part of America.

[JackalStomper]

For the most part it's NASA's manned program that is suffering from budget constraints. Yes NASA as a whole is underfunded but they are making use of it very wisely, with the majority going into unmanned programs that have much larger returns than manned exploration in terms of knowledge gained.

The problem is the public support/awareness for some unmanned probe going to Titan isn't nearly as large as it would be for say... a manned mission to the moon. It's just not as exciting for the Average Joe.


Alternatively, NASA should move itself to Canada or some nation that cares less about its military and more about important things.

The orbital inclination restrictions when launching from canada would negate any supposed budget benefits a space program could gain. Would have to waste all the money building larger rockets to accomplish the same goals that a smaller one could do when launching from the cape.


Or the U.S. and Canada could work together financially. :P

They already do on various projects.


For instance, plastic/trash pollution could be solved if we created a machine that takes all of the shit from the dumps (and what not) and goes into space where it can burn all of it without causing a shit-ton of pollutants to fill the air like shit did during the Industrial Revolution.

If you gave me a week I couldn't list all the reasons why that wouldn't work. Not practically anyway.

[TVTyrant]

For instance, plastic/trash pollution could be solved if we created a machine that takes all of the shit from the dumps (and what not) and goes into space where it can burn all of it without causing a shit-ton of pollutants to fill the air like shit did during the Industrial Revolution.
This idea has been explored. See season 1, episode 8 of Futurama.

[DarkHalo003]

Hmph if only it could happen. Not entirely sure why it wouldn't work though, so someone please enlighten me.

[TVTyrant]

Hmph if only it could happen. Not entirely sure why it wouldn't work though, so someone please enlighten me.
Watch the episode lol

[DarkHalo003]

Watch the episode lol
Not that kind of trash disposal. :eng101:

[rossmum]

Added another video to the OP.

[jcap]

We need another Cold War.

Cold War II

[TVTyrant]

We need another Cold War.

Cold War II
This time even longer and colder. Due to climate change.

[Cortexian]

It should be an ironic war over political CO2 emissions sending us into another ice age due to global warming. Then it can be Really Cold War II.

Someone should sell these ideas to Activision.

[Warsaw]

The Cold War ended? When?

[DarkHalo003]

The Cold War ended? When?
When the U.S. outspent the USSR. :iamafag:

[=sw=warlord]

We need another Cold War.

Cold War II
.

[JackalStomper]

When the U.S. outspent the USSR. :iamafag:

When the USSR outspent the USSR.

[DarkHalo003]

When the USSR outspent the USSR.
Lol.

[rossmum]

When the USSR outspent the USSR.
Yeah, this was the far more accurate statement. Don't get into a dick-waving contest with the US; you won't win. By the early days of their involvement in WWII I recall reading that the USA was outproducing pretty much every other involved nation combined. It's an economic and industrial powerhouse that can afford to churn out arms all day because it doesn't have a socialist society that also requires that funding, unlike the USSR or most of its NATO allies.

[=sw=warlord]

And now look at the USA, in a debt that would take it a century to clear.

[Higuy]

Every time I look up at night I normally can't see stars - mostly due to either clouds or all the light coming from where I live, which is pretty sad... Sometimes I take a boat ride though out on the river where I live at night, and you can clearly see stars and such. Their magnificent and amazing, almost even mind-boggling... why people never went further is beyond me and pretty disappointing as a whole. If humans weren't such cry baby's and did not have such political, social, and economic issues everywhere, we could really accomplish so much and advance technology further. Only one can dream...

I also read on Wikipedia actually not to long ago that there is a plasma based rocket that could make the trip to Mars between a month or two.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_mission_to_Mars
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variable_Specific_Impulse_Magnetoplasma_Rocket

I'm no rocket scientist, but whatever gets the job done. Our technology could be advanced so much with the wealth that is Mars. Who knows what we could find thats out there.

[TVTyrant]

Yeah, this was the far more accurate statement. Don't get into a dick-waving contest with the US; you won't win. By the early days of their involvement in WWII I recall reading that the USA was outproducing pretty much every other involved nation combined. It's an economic and industrial powerhouse that can afford to churn out arms all day because it doesn't have a socialist society that also requires that funding, unlike the USSR or most of its NATO allies.
When the grand admiral of the Imperial Japanese navy says you are a sleeping giant...

And now, we suck :( I blame the republican party and the idiots who vote for them. Also the current democrats. Basically everyone who doesn't know anything about dick. Seriously people here are fucking retarded.

[Warsaw]

And now look at the USA, in a debt that would take it a century to clear.

Or a day if we pull a China.

[DarkHalo003]

Look at it this way; if we go down, you all do. :iamafag:

(except Australia, fucking Kangaroos)

[TVTyrant]

Look at it this way; if we go down, you all do. :iamafag:
Yay! Everybody put their eggs in our basket!