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AIBU?

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Original poster

Those astronauts must be slightly insane.

211 replies

thinktoomuchtoooften · 01/04/2026 22:09

I mean obviously they’re highly intelligent individuals and must know what they’re doing… but the risks are so huge and they have families. To me it’s just madness.

OP posts:
Dragonflytamer · 03/04/2026 16:47

Youzername · 03/04/2026 13:46

No one doesn’t have food, shelter or healthcare because money is being spent on space exploration.

There is no shortage of resources. The issue is the allocation of those resources.

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If everyone had the determination and work ethic of these astronauts noone would be going hungry that is for sure.

Hulabalu · 04/04/2026 01:47

LilyCanna · 02/04/2026 09:32

About 10 years ago, at every climate protest you’d see signs that said “there is no Planet B”. That is the literal truth. While I can admire the dedication to scientific discovery, we don’t have a fall back if we make this planet uninhabitable for humans. I read last year a very detailed scientific takedown of Elon Musk’s idea that colonising Mars might be feasible. While there might be Earth comparable planets out there somewhere, there is no science fiction magic travel mechanism that will take humans to the other side of the galaxy.
It makes me sad and angry to realise how many people don’t realise just how precious and irreplaceable what we have is.
The dream of space is enticing but hard-headed thought says the money could be spent on better things right now. Western countries led by the US are causing millions of deaths by cutting vital humanitarian aid, not to mention the consequences of war. Cutting edge medical research is also being defunded by the Trump administration, and climate research is being absolutely decimated because the aim is to deny that climate change exists.

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The PP was saying we don’t deserve rather than it’s not possible. But I agree it seems like a science fiction dream right now - but we don’t know what technological advances are coming . But we shouldn’t bet on a planet B as it seems unlikely. And the priority is our planet and its inhabitants- not space rockets.

incidentally it sounds you must not believe in UFOs and aliens sightings since you’re saying it wouldn’t be possible for them to get here?

NotMeAtAll · 04/04/2026 07:31

Financegoddess · 02/04/2026 08:19

Because no-one landed on the moon in the first place!!

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Don't be so ridiculous FFS.

PistachioTiramisu · 04/04/2026 10:15

peptual · 02/04/2026 18:09

Wow I’ve found my page here. I absolutely love space. I watched interviews of the crew and the lady said that as a child she loved anything that made her feel small, like the ocean and mountains. I totally get this feeling, I find space absolutely fascinating. I would love to go but I think my anxiety would take over, plus I’d be claustrophobic in that small ship they’re living in for 10 days. I think it’s amazing though that as humans we have this relenting need to explore as much as we can. I understand they want to try and create a base to see if we can do the same to Mars in the 2030s, but surely we need to come out of our solar system because the whole point is we’re buggared if our sun dies? Or would mars be safer than earth for a long while longer if our sun slowly expands and dies? I wonder what the thinking behind Mars in the 2030’s is?

I love the whole concept of exploring space, and hopefully it will benefit the human race. It makes me very sad though to think that there will probably be no way of bringing back the first humans who go to Mars, unless they develop some kind of rocket which could carry all that fuel ready to blast off from the planet surface again. I also read that it would take nearly 4 years to get there!

PistachioTiramisu · 04/04/2026 10:17

Dragonflytamer · 03/04/2026 16:47

If everyone had the determination and work ethic of these astronauts noone would be going hungry that is for sure.

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If we could only introduce serious programmes of contraception education in the countries where people produce child after child. We need to reduce the size of the world population and then, hopefully, resources would be enough to go round.

SockPlant · 04/04/2026 10:19

MimiGC · 01/04/2026 22:57

I heard on the radio this morning that one of the astronauts is a single dad and he has given his children his will and instructions about who will look after them if he doesn’t return. This was said quite admiringly. I think a single mother doing the same would be criticised.

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yep, his wife died and he has teenage daughters.

A woman would be crucified for doing this

Xkk · 04/04/2026 10:24

These are not people like you and me. These are people who dedicated their whole life to space,went through rigourous training and wait their whole life for an opportunity like this. Their families would have known, accepeted and come to terms with it a long time ago I presume. I don't think is more mad than the young people who enroll in army and go to war zones. They don't knpw if they are coming home either. But this is different. This is going above and beyond to do something that very little people did before. This is a chance for them to be the pioneers who pushed the humanity one step further. Fot them, this opportunity is like the apex of their lifes and their careers. So no, they are not mad. They are extraordinary doing something extraordinary and I fucking applaud them for that!

notimagain · 04/04/2026 10:51

SockPlant · 04/04/2026 10:19

yep, his wife died and he has teenage daughters.

A woman would be crucified for doing this

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So the logic is anyone in a risky (by MN standards) job who becomes a single parent should chuck in the day job?

FWIW it was a while back but there's been at least one single parent flying for one of the well known aerobatic teams and more than one fighter pilot in the same boat.

WalkDontWalk · 04/04/2026 14:59

Dontlletmedownbruce · 01/04/2026 23:54

They are just glory hunters and the whole thing is a shameful waste of money.

What's wrong with hunting glory, exactly?

TheNorns · 04/04/2026 15:15

notimagain · 04/04/2026 10:51

So the logic is anyone in a risky (by MN standards) job who becomes a single parent should chuck in the day job?

FWIW it was a while back but there's been at least one single parent flying for one of the well known aerobatic teams and more than one fighter pilot in the same boat.

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Absolutely. I mean, they psych evaluate these people to an extreme extent. They’re not going to want to invest enormous resources in training etc only to have someone say ‘No, I’ve changed my mind, I need to stick around for my kids’. These people are pretty committed.

Cariadm · 05/04/2026 16:17

swapsicles · 01/04/2026 22:28

Apparently they are searching out a landing space for future missions, why not use the last one...

This time they're looking for a landing space in an area suitable to build and 'man' a proper moon 'base' near where there is possibly water as that's essential to be able to go on further to Mars...that's why they need to be on the 'dark side' where it's colder and more likely to have ice and glaciers, well that's the theory as far as I know anyway! 😱

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