Mission to Mars or spend on Third World Aid?

[minestrone]

That would create more poverty, the world is already overpopulated.

We'd do better going to Mars where we might learn the first tiny steps towards finding another planet to live on.

When you take people out of poverty they tend to breed much less, they start to see children as a cost rather than a money making opportunity.

[RichardCranium]

Mission to Mars or spend on Third World Aid?

Absolutely. Good point. Globally, we should choose one thing to spend money on and stop funding on everything else. Great plan.

So let's spend the global GDP on, errm, cancer. And let everyone with something else die and spend nothing on research on anything else.

This is like those silly management games you're all in a cave / balloon / plane crash and you have to choose the order for people to escape / die.

It's a silly game.

But I do agree we should be trying to find a way to end war.

[OwlHoot]

When you take people out of poverty they tend to breed much less, they start to see children as a cost rather than a money making opportunity.

It's too late for that. There isn't enough money in the world now to make more than a marginal difference to poverty rates.

Indirectly, that's what this economic crisis has been about, enriching only a tiny proportion of the World's poor at the West's expense, and look at the results.

(For reference, the population of Afghanistan was 13 million in 1970, is about 35 million now, and if present trends continue it will be 100 million by 2050, and populations in many other countries are growing equally fast if not more so. We're really heading for the buffers in a big way.)

[gingerjedi]

I don't think we need to worry about poverty in the UK, wealth equality is becoming a very real achievement of this government.

[scooterscot]

Mission to Mars or spend on developing country Aid?

[Cyberman]

The moon project gave us teflon, frozen meals and many other advances through technological development. There is no doubt that in conquering Mars, further gains will be made for mankind that just cannot be quantified at present.

The world population will explode over the next few decades and no amount of money will compensate for the lack of commonsense with regard to exercising birth-control. Population control is the only way to stop us all ending up in poverty. Religious dogma is the killer, and money is simply irrelevant.

[OwlHoot]

The moon project gave us teflon, frozen meals and many other advances through technological development. There is no doubt that in conquering Mars, further gains will be made for mankind that just cannot be quantified at present.

The world population will explode over the next few decades and no amount of money will compensate for the lack of commonsense with regard to exercising birth-control. Population control is the only way to stop us all ending up in poverty. Religious dogma is the killer, and money is simply irrelevant.

WHS

[BrilloPad]

The moon project gave us teflon, frozen meals and many other advances through technological development. There is no doubt that in conquering Mars, further gains will be made for mankind that just cannot be quantified at present.

The world population will explode over the next few decades and no amount of money will compensate for the lack of commonsense with regard to exercising birth-control. Population control is the only way to stop us all ending up in poverty. Religious dogma is the killer, and money is simply irrelevant.

I have to agree with CyberTory!

[Lockhouse]

I have to agree with CyberTory!

Me too. A CUK concensus?

[GreenerGrass]

I think it's not just the destination but the feat of getting there, I am fascinated by whether the mission would be technically possible - at 2 years just to get to Mars there would be a fair chance they would never return.
At least the Russians are researching things, although I'm not sure about the wooden spaceship (it "wooden" fly).
http://www.universetoday.com/2009/07...-mars-mission/

It would be good to see a mission in our lifetimes, even if you are in your 80s or 90s and starving to death as the Indian-controlled IMF decides it won't give any aid to Britain after the great collapse of 2050, your SIPP and BTL portfolio having been confiscated by government a few years before in the aim of "fairness" for the "common good of Britain".