To think millions of litres of fuel shouldn't be wasted on sending a rocket to the moon

[Viviennemary]

With this current fuel crisis it's total madness sending a rocket to the moon. What is the point. Nobody is even going to land on the moon. Doubt therei s any oil on the moon.

Liquid hydrogen could be used somewhere for other purposes.

I doubt there is much scientific knowledge with real world applications to be gained from the space mission.

I feel the same about skiing.

I think I read somewhere that the absorbent gel substance used inside sanitary towels and incontinence pads was developed initially for astronauts. It’s not just the big things that can be improved along the way.

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Why are they going up there again ? Agree with people saying it’s a waste of time and money.

I’m not charging that bugger up at my house!!

🙄 Brainpower doesn't get used up like petrol though, does it? Incidentally, it wouldn't have taken much brainpower to look up how rockets are fuelled before complaining about petrol shortages!

Not just that but the cost of it.

Let’s say there were, but five years later for each one.

The value to the UK economy alone from GPS is estimated at £290bn/year. That’s about ten times NASA’s annual budget, or about the same as the entire Apollo programme (in today’s money).

Omg I now have bloody Elton John's rocket man as an ear worm 😪.

Depends...... There are many who believe the future of humanity lies in our ability to colonise another planet.
I'm not remotely interested in space travel, but the general gist is human potential and evolution, with only the resources and genetic diversity available on earth, is finite.
So we won't see any benefits, true, but potentially our ancestors 10,000 years on will be grateful. Or so the theory goes

Speaking as a fully paid up space nerd, who watched the moon landings on TV as a child, I agree.

And I will be happy to have a POTUS who has actually seen the earth from space and fully understands how fragile it is and how humanity transcends international boundaries, should Mark Kelly be elected.

I am curious about space and the universe, but I think it’s difficult to justify spending billions on such an enterprise when there is so much poverty and suffering on our own planet. Also, all that will happen, realistically, is that we will carve up and despoil any other planet we get our hands on, the same way we have fucked up Earth.

I doubt we will be around in millions of years time the way it’s going. Man has messed up Earth, now they fancy a go at living on Mars and messing that up as well :(
Sort out the many problems here before going off to the moon again.

Is space travel good for the environment? Are we not leaving a lot of debris up there?

I find it a bit sad that there is such a general lack of interest in space exploration now, notwithstanding the fuel argument. I remember in the space travel heyday, most people were genuinely excited and looked upon the whole thing with awe. We were glued to the TV for updates and pictures which the astronauts sent back. The picture of earthrise from the moon is truly beautiful and makes you realise just how insignificant we are!!

Yes and that photo did a huge amount to raise environmental awareness.

It's great news.

Yanbu!!!

I do think we leave quite a lot of detritus up there but I’m not sure if space travel is intrinsically bad for the environment in the same way that traditional forms of transport using fossil fuels are.

When hydrogen burns it just produces water. You can create more hydrogen by passing an electrical current through water ( hopefully using renewable energy). I suspect in the long term we will see more “green” hydrogen being produced and used to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

In the long term plan would be for the moon and mars to be able to generate their own energy which is why they are so keen on finding ice deposits.

If you don't know why they are going, how have you come to the conclusion that it's a waste of money? You just admitted you don't know anything about it.

It's be worth every penny if they put Trump on it and made it a one way trip.

Oh OP.....try moaning about gas. Most liquid hydrogen is mainly produced from reacting methane with steam.

No, I don’t know much about space exploration, but it is a waste of time and money ( in my opinion ) and can’t be good for the environment.

This is really not true. There is a lot of work going into nerve damage, regeneration and tissue repair in zero gravity, which will enormously impact and advance knowledge relating to human health and treatment development.