The odds against anyone on this planet leaving it and surviving in space must be... er, astronomic.

There simply isn't sufficient time left to do the work necessary to make a real and sustainable stab at it. At most, I suspect, some enterprising souls might make an outbound voyage of some kind, and perish as soon as their four-score-and-ten is up.

I'd hate to be on that trip. It only takes one unbalanced brain in the ship's complement, and it would quickly become a living hell. Nope, not for me.

But the assumption in the article appears to be just that. That space exploration needs to have the overall objective of transporting mankind to continue our species, somewhere else.

I'm inclined to believe the opposite. That it is the task of a space programme to push the boundaries of science and knowledge, in order to extend our stay on this planet.

Plus, I have to say, if humankind decides that exploration for exploration's sake is a bad thing, simply because the cost-benefit analysis shows too much cost and to little benefit, then quite frankly we don't deserve to survive.

It would signal the end of imagination. And with the end of imagination, all the little things that make life worth living - music, art, all that soft stuff - would disappear also.

And that would be very sad.

re Pericles:
" ...I have to say, if humankind decides that exploration for exploration's sake is a bad thing, simply because the cost-benefit analysis shows too much cost and to little benefit, then quite frankly we don't deserve to survive."

"It would signal the end of imagination. And with the end of imagination, all the little things that make life worth living - music, art, all that soft stuff - would disappear also."

Which may help explain the demise of all the hornpipe tunes and sea shanties that brightened the days of sailors on sailing ships, back when the wind provided transport power. The demise of exploration-fired imagination?

Maybe all the office folks who developed, launched and monitor the progress of SIGINT and video surveillance satellites can dance a few new jigs, inspired by their space frontier explorations.

Meanwhile, the rest of us get the offcasts - oops, I meant spinoffs - eg Google Earth, the internet and taxpayer-subsidised oil and nuclear electricity. Hooray!

Space colonisation –not just exploration –is the most important next for humanity –everything else is just a sideshow.

Address climate change, find cures for disease, help the poor, yes– but not at the expense of space.We should be putting more money into space exploration –not less.

There is always going to be some segments of humanity which are below par.Scratch below the surface of the greatest civilisations -the most bountiful of times.There were always in the lower echelons, down & outs. Diversity of this sort–while cruel on the individual level – motivates humanity .

And short of an authoritarian world govt, you’re not going to be able to control peoples life styles.
There are sectors of humanity who are saying to us now :
Give us aid –cancel our debt–but don’t tell us how many children we should have.
There are individuals who say :
Give me food & lodging –but don’t tell me to get off the couch & do something to find a job or upgrade my education.

Space exploration fulfils humanity’s need for an inspirational dream, it provides us with a safety net , it provides us with lebensraum and it will provide us with things we haven’t yet dreamed of .

Authoritarian world government is coming Horus. They are building it now. A charismatic world leader who kills millions is near the world stage; and in his wicked little ticker is an enforced microchip for either the right hand or forehead (Revelation 13:16-18) which the Holy Bible says we are not to take (Revelation 14:9-11).
As for the lower life forms and wanting to make them disappear for the sake of the "elite dream" well thats not "love your neighbour" is it.
The great NASA vision is a dead vision.
Wars and disasters are going to grow to the level that NASA collapses (read Luke chapter 21 about endtimes events. Revelation chapter 6 onwards is interesting also).
Do any of you chaps ever stick your noses into the Bible? The safest place in the future is in church on our knees praying. Jesus Comforts all who genuinely go to Him to be saved!

Australia should develop its own space program.

A recent MMMradio comedy skit suggested Scientists have asked Howard for $100million to send an Aussy unmanned craft crashing into the sun as a world first data collection experiment. Its not so comic. The greatest 'thermodynamic-gradients', you know, those things that are responsible for ALL life and growth, exist between Mercury and Venus(Heliospace). The gradients are violent and unpredictable but advanced NEXTEL and Magnetic shielding can overcome that to create ultra prosperous colonies, because the energy capture/storage/usage potential is so great (11X Earths radiance). This is why a solar data collection shot is MORE important to space exploration than anything NASA/EuropeanESA have ever considered. It would make Australia a leader in Space.

Australia is in a curiously unique position to follow this precept.

* We lead the world in SCRAMJET technology

* We can afford it. We can be one of the richest nations on Earth by supplying value added Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactors and fuel to the rest of an energy uncertain planet.

* We are just a stone's throw from the BEST Equatorial 4500 Mtr mountaintop launch pad in the world - Mt Wilhelm in New Guinea.

* We have some of the best heavy infrastructure capability in the World as evidenced by the construction of Sydney's Light Horse Exchange and the Woronora Incremental Launched High-top Bridge.

The Technology to be used is unmanned, semi robotc GPAL (GUN launch (to 4.2 km/sec), PACKET-SWITCHED, scramjet ASSIST(to 9.7km/sec), INCREMENTAL launch).

Continued..

Continuing..

Essentially GPAL will SCREW one ton packets of materiel packaged in the standard 7 layer OSI data model to Low Earth orbit interactively through 7 sensitive atmospheric pressure zones. The details are obviously secret but I can say that 20 standard packet types could autonomously and remotely build power stations, human habitats, manufacturing facilities and scientific data collectors anywhere between Mercury and the Moon(Heliospace). Any destination further out has insufficient solar energy to power GPAL or other initiatives. NASA is yet to comprehend this and lament upon it. NASA's Mars/Moon initiative is a thermodynamic catastrophe in progress. The Cold reaches of Mars have negative thermodynamic gradients that will ultimately suck the life out of any proposed mission that uses much more than a rover's 60Watts of power.

Australian's don't so much need to navigate our way into Heliospace but rather SCREW our way through it via a gettable mastery of unmanned, off-the-shelf, inexpensive GPAL technologies.

Being modular, packet switched, CAD/CAM computer oriented and off-the-shelf-manufactured, most of the research/development and design will take place with GPAL software programmers. And with a GPAL language compiler, even Aussie university/high school students would eventually be able to design and implement space applications all the way to the SUN.