In 1844, Asa Whitney suggested to the US Congress that America should build a transcontinental railroad. The idea was originally thought to be crazy and impossible but just 25 years later the first spike was pounded into the ground.
In 1867, William Seward proposed that America should purchase Alaska from Russia for 7.2 million but this idea was mocked by a writer of the New York Tribune, calling it a frozen wasteland, and was known as Seward's Folly, but it turned out to be one of the best investments.
America's past shows that some of these proposals may seem ludicrous but have proven to be great investments that can jump start new industries and open new frontiers, do you think that Gingrich's moon colony has that same potential?
Read the article here
Its awesome to think about and it may happen one day but now is not the time. That project would cost billions that we as a country do not have right now.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jon. I would love to be a resident of the moon colony sometime in the future but right now that's just not realistic considering our country's current economic state.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first head about this I completely dismissed it as a possibility just like the others had about the different ideas in the past. I think the reason for this, just like then, is because the idea is so far from being even possible today. I suppose that as I look at it now it might be a good idea, but something to think about 25 years from now. Technology is growing so fast that it could be possible later, but to think that we could do something so extreme in the next 4-8 years seems a little absurd right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. There are scientists who claims that human would be partly mechanized, so we would be able to "expand" our abilities and surpass many physical limitations to "evolve" and ultimately live in the virtual world. With the technology advancing in an exponential manner, anything could be possible down the road. But that completely disregards the current situation of the citizens in the US. I view it as another unnecessary topic that should not be the center of attention of people right now......
Delete"American history proves that smart, focused action by the U.S. government can jump start entire new industries that open new frontiers -- from western railroads, to the air, to the Internet - and that is exactly where we are today in space."
ReplyDeleteWhile I think innovation in regards to exploring space deserves merit, I don't believe that now is the best time to devote resources to it. I believe that the general public would be against this action at this time because of our dire financial state. It would be difficult to justify spending billions on space exploration when the U.S. national debt is over 15 trillion dollars. However, the quote above is important because I think it is always important to explore new industries and I think this article does a good job of putting it into historical perspective. In addition, our space program has always been a source of national pride as it was in the 60s. U.S. innovation in terms of space has set the precedent for the rest of world. I'm hopeful that we will be in a better position to consider this proposal in the near future. However, it does not seem feasible at the moment.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the US has already cut NASA's budget substantially and announced that they would not be doing deepspace probes and such anymore. Is now the time to be thinking about moon colonies when our land on Earth is in disarray? I think we should focus on the US right now and not make strange outlandish promises like this just to peak attention.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the country's efforts should be directed towards this because it doesn't have the money. Another thing would people really want to give up life on this planet to live on the moon? The prices of resources would be huge because of they scarcity of all resources, and transportation to and from the moon will not be cheap. I don't think people could ever afford living on the moon in the next 25 years even if technology can support it.
ReplyDeleteI believe that even though this seems to be a great opportunity for our country, we are simply not ready to explore these options. We have enough problems on the home front. Once our problems are solved, I cannot wait to see what we can do with a plan like this.
ReplyDeleteI think that it not only is unrealistic considering our country's economic state, but it is unrealistic in terms of necessary technological advances. It is way too early to start thinking about a colony on the moon. Building a space shuttle that would carry enough people to make it even remotely economically viable would require funds that currently seem astronomical. Maybe in the distant future. For now, however, I am going to have to be one of those people that considers the idea to be ludicrous.
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