🚀 go-pugleaf

Philip Young (young@bunyip.ap.dg.com) wrote:
: In article <3o8fen$9uh@canopus.cc.umanitoba.ca>,
: umcroall@cc.umanitoba.ca (Stuart Croall) writes:
:  

: You, and we, have a debt problem because our governments, in their
: zeal to redistribute wealth, have neglected wealth creation; so we
: have less to redistribute.  Having eaten the seed corn, we wail and
: gnash our teeth; but let's not pretend that this situation has come
: about because of spending on investments for the future, such as the
: space program. It's the neglect of such investments (and here I include
: science R&D in general), and the lack of embedded structural solutions
: in social programs, which has brought us to this unhappy pass in the
: first place.

: There's no way out, except to plant next year's crop.
:   
: |> 
: |> Do we have enough wealth?  Why do you insist on rocketing our wealth to 
: |> mars? 

: Poppycock!  Hardware, and maybe wetware, to Mars; the money stays here.
: It goes to the parts suppliers, the systems integrators, the 1001
: companies who do business with the space program.  It means jobs to
: the people who work in those companies.  It filters through to the
: universities who work on the scientific instruments, and helps to
: provide a better education for the students.  When you're old enough
: to attend one, should you choose to, you might see some of this
: activity if you're in the appropriate faculties.  In the meantime,
: perhaps your school can put you onto a work experience program to
: give you a taste of the fun and the satisfaction of working on a
: project which is both personally stimulating and of real benefit to
: society.  I'm sure there are professionals on the net who could
: give your teacher/adviser some ideas if you want to pursue this. 

: -- 
: Philip R. Young        |             young@bunyip.ap.dg.com
:                        |       Philip_Young@dgap.ceo.dg.com

For an example of very long term returns on space research, consider
Australia. 

Capt. Cook's mission objective was to observe the transit of Venus as
part of the first global scientific programme. The purpose was to
measure the Astronomical Unit, the distance from the Earth to the
Sun. On the way back to Britain, since his ship was in poor shape and
could not make the passage past Cape Horn he explored and mapped,
the Eastern coast of Australia. The reports from this expedition were
instrumental in pursuading the Imperial goverment to establish a
support base for the East India Fleet at Botany Bay. i.e Australia is
space research spin off! 

If you are not prepared to explore and discover you will not have a
future, only repetition of what you have already.

BTW what is the Bunyip?


--
Dave Stephenson                   
Geological Survey of Canada       *Who ever knew the heavens menace so?
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada           *Those that have known the earth so
Internet: stephens@geod.emr.ca    *full of faults! [ W.S. (JC. A1, S3)]