Unfortunately, there are too many people that value scientific discoveries only in dollars and cents. In the corporate world, research that can't lead to revenue in 5 to 7 years, usually get's cut. R&D is often market research and development is product adaption and modification.I think I am. The majority of America doesn't give a damn. I wish we could come up with a reason for them to start to.
Well, the first thing you can do is to support their efforts. They can't do anything without public support. Support your local astronomy club. They provide outreach to the public, and nearly all of them are huge supporters of NASA. The more people out there talking to the public about the issues, the more the public will support NASA's efforts. It's a start.
I'm working on it man. That's why I started the other thread. NASA is one of the most important Agencies in the U.S. It should be regarded way above agencies like the FBI and CIA.
I don't know about that, but I agree that it needs to get more support than it gets. NASA is at the forefront of science in this country. But they need more public support. And we can all help them in that regard.
NASA changed the world. It was the dagger in the chest of the Soviet Union. And then we killed it. And now it has to ask Russia for permission to put someone in outer space. It's pathetic.
We don't live in those days anymore, dude. Boogey men are not a valid reason for spending 100 billion dollars on space anymore. It's the science, dummy. And that's what we are doing today.
What appears to be discoveries of no possible commercial value often lead to discoveries of huge value. For example:
In the 1920s, experimental physicists found that electrons have a completely unexpected property they named "Spin." Soon thereafter, the mathematical physicist Paul Dirac, in a burst of fundamental creativity, came up with the now-famous equation that fully describes the motion of an electron, including its spin. This equation was a rich theoretical lode for subsequent basic research. From the firm platform of this basic work, scientists and engineers discovered how to apply Dirac's "useless" knowledge to devices using beams of electromagnetic energy. Further applied research and development then led to the invention of the laser, whose ever-expanding usefulness would surely astonish even Dirac. It's often useless research that leads us to development of products that change our lives.
http://www.the-scientist.com/?artic...timate-The-Usefulness-Of--Useless--Knowledge/
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