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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!vax135!cornell!uw-beaver!tektronix!ogcvax!sequent!richard
From: richard@sequent.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Re: SPACE STATION ALERT
Message-ID: <419@sequent.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-Mar-84 03:31:59 EST
Article-I.D.: sequent.419
Posted: Sat Mar 10 03:31:59 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Mar-84 20:07:48 EST
References: <2578@rabbit.UUCP>
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems, Portland
Lines: 44

Several points should be made:

o	Unmanned mission haven't done "just fine" - if the mars lander had
	some operational intelligence behind it, all those tests run
	probably wouldn't have been so indeterminate.

o	As far as I know, no unmanned mission has every returned samples
	back to earth, as was suggested.  And if unmanned probes are so
	good, why return samples at all?

o	Since the trend towards decreasing budgets will inevitably 
	continue (in the long run) it is important to make space a
	profitable venture as soon as possible.  In a few decades,
	most of our resources will be going simply to keep this world
	under control, with all the starving billions against us.

o	Although I agree that any space venture will have some
	military aspects, this is not just true of the space station.
	In fact, due to unpopularity with the pentagon, the space
	station as proposed is justified solely in terms of commercial
	benefits.

o	The commercial benefits derived have to do primarily with materials
	processing.  You are aware, of course, that drugs can be made
	purer and ball bearings rounder in space?  Well, that's just the
	tip of the iceberg.  The prime eventual benefit is to get humanity
	into space on a permanent basis.

o	As far as taking away the unmanned exploration budget, in the long
	run, the space station will help.  It will be much cheaper to
	base a telescope in space with facilities right there - the same
	goes for deep-space launches.

It can be hoped that attention on space will relieve some of the
earth-side nationalistic pressures, which might let civilization live
long enough that some of us will someday take jobs/vacations on the
moom/space station.

___________________________________________________________________________
The preceding should not to be construed as the statement or opinion of the
employers or associates of the author.    It is solely the belief...

			from the confused and bleeding fingertips of
				...!sequent!richard