Is Barney Frank right that we can't afford to send men to Mars?

Question

Is Barney Frank right that we can't afford to send men to Mars?

Answer 1

If Barney made that statement it is probably to only one he ever made that made sense.

Answer 2

YES

Answer 3

If we can send men to Mars, we should first be able to fix the completely stupid health care system in this country. I went back and read speeches as far back as when JFK was running for president, and they were going to fix the health care system then. That was over 40 years ago, and still all we get is lip service. We did put men on the moon. This time, let's get our priorities right. Health care for everyone at an affordable price.  Some people cannot buy health care insurance at any price, and it's not just AIDS-stigmatized people. Find yourself with a history of cancer..even if you have a clean bill of health now..and try to get a policy at any price. You can get one...it just comes with riders that say it doesn't cover things like cancer.   Insurance in the USA is designed to give breaks to groups who have leverage and charge premium prices to individual purchasers because...well becasue they have no leverage. And woe unto the people who have no insurance. I personally know of two people who had identical MRI scans at the same facility for the same problem. the one who had insurance was charged $1200 and change...the one without insurance was charged over $1600.

That is just wrong. I'm not just a health-care "single issue" fanatic, but it's a good example of how we let politicians distract us with a rocketship to mars when we still don't have a decent health care system in the USA in spite of paying for for health care than any country on the planet. Stupid.

Congress should spend their time on issues that matter to the average American. No, BArney Frank is right. We can't afford it, and even if we could, first things first, already. Geez!

Answer 4

Who is Barney Frank!??

Answer 5

I can't so in that, he's right.

Answer 6

Do we really need to be spending this kind of money on space travel, at this time, we are broke as a nation, our people need help, not another trip to outer space!  Do we really plan on going there to live anytime soon, I sure as heck don't want to live there, I'll stay on this beautiful blue planet until it is no more, thank you!

Answer 7

As a former engineering manager and specialist with NASA's Level II Space Station Program Office in Reston, Virginia, what Barney Frank said was absolutely right on the money.  We are in a serious financial bind today and that's without considering the War in Iraq.  What NASA gets today can barely afford to keep existing programs going.  If history repeats itself, the US is likely to be caught up in a deep and long recession that some even say will very closely resemble the Depression.   Economists put a positive spin on our situation but no one is even considering the cost of the War in Iraq that has yet to be paid.  Those who favor continuing the war in Iraq don't understand that we are a nation in financial turmoil.  

As for Mars, the problem is that we don't have the power to drive such mission from the Earth.   When Apollo astronauts went to the moon, about 65% of the fuel they consumed was just to escape earth's gravitational field.  Logically, the philosophy at NASA has been to establish an intermediate platform in Mid Earth Orbit (MEO) where the Shuttle would land and form there, astronauts would launch from a larger vehicle to orbit about Mars at a time when Mars and the Earth are close together.  We had that opportunity only a year ago but unfortunately, we were unprepared.    

In order for the US to drive a mission to Mars during the next two decades, we would need to partner with some other nation that has such interest.  The European Union would be a logical consideration, but the European Space Agency (ESA) wants little to do with the US right now.  The game plan is for a launch to Mars by 2030.  I know right now that I won't be around for that, but my guess is that the date will be pushed forward unless climate conditions on the earth force our interest to pursue this sooner.  

There is another school of thinking which tends to believe that during the next 100 years, there will be substantial breaktrhrougths in energy and power systems that probably will shift our focus outside our solar system to other planets in our galaxy that have yet to be discovered.  It's very likely that within the next 300-500 years humans will establish occupancy not only in space colonies, but also on some other planet that resembles Earth and its ecosystems.  This will broaden the scope of the world for humanity and reduce our chances of extinction greatly.  Within a thousand years our decendents (possibly the robots we create) will occupy the moon, Mars, and at least one other planet outside our solar system...

Answer 8

He is wrong. He has no problem with America spending $300 Billion a year on illegal immigrants. He has priorities  all mixed up.

Spending money on NASA and space travel helps the economy, not hurts it. NASA and its inventions continues to increase America's GDP. (I doubt that he knows what GDP means). Increasing the GDP increases tax revenue which reduces deficits.

Answer 9

yes, we are in deep debt, it is stupid to spend money like that when we can't afford to pay for basic stuff

Answer 10

He could help fund it with his g*y male escort service. I'm amazed that this fat f*g could even show his face in public....