[sci.space] Spinoffs

jwm@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Jim Meritt) (07/20/89)

How many lives make it "worth it"?

Thousands, perhaps millions, of people owe their lives to something that
you can only do with a space program.

Fact, not wild speculation.  I can aim doubters at the raw data to draw
their own conclusions.


That that is is that that is. That that is not is that that is not.
That that is is not that that is not.  That that is not is not that that is.
And that includes these opinions, which are solely mine!
jwm@aplvax.jhuapl.edu  - or - jwm@aplvax.uucp  - or - meritt%aplvm.BITNET

logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) (07/21/89)

jwm@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Jim Meritt) writes:
> Thousands, perhaps millions, of people owe their lives to something that
> you can only do with a space program.

Pardon my late entry into the spinoff debate -- but one must always remember
that resources that went to the space program were therefore not available
to go toward other uses.  We cannot know what advances would have resulted
if those resources were not in fact diverted toward space.  A good guess would
be that the advances would have been different -- but not necessarily less
important.  The possibility always exists that in diverting resources toward
space, we have actually harvested less important spinoffs than we might
otherwise have gotten.

Since this we obviously cannot predict such matters, the spinoff argument
becomes pointless.  The best we can do is leave such matters up to the choice
of individuals in the form of the free-market.

-- 
- John M. Logajan @ Network Systems; 7600 Boone Ave; Brooklyn Park, MN 55428  -
- logajan@ns.network.com / ...rutgers!umn-cs!ns!logajan / john@logajan.mn.org -

jwm@stda.jhuapl.edu (Jim Meritt) (07/21/89)

In article <1501@ns.network.com> logajan@ns.network.com (John Logajan) writes:
}jwm@aplvax.jhuapl.edu (Jim Meritt) writes:
}> Thousands, perhaps millions, of people owe their lives to something that
}> you can only do with a space program.
}
}Pardon my late entry into the spinoff debate -- but one must always remember
}that resources that went to the space program were therefore not available
}to go toward other uses.  We cannot know what advances would have resulted
}if those resources were not in fact diverted toward space.  A good guess would
}be that the advances would have been different -- but not necessarily less
}important.  The possibility always exists that in diverting resources toward
}space, we have actually harvested less important spinoffs than we might
}otherwise have gotten.
}
}Since this we obviously cannot predict such matters, the spinoff argument
}becomes pointless.  The best we can do is leave such matters up to the choice
}of individuals in the form of the free-market.

Since what I am thinking of can ONLY come from a space program, and NO 
other method could handle it, your opposition is unfounded.

Besides - the free-market DOES want a space program.


"In these matters the only certainty is that nothing is certain"
					- Pliny the Elder
These were the opinions of :
jwm@aplvax.jhuapl.edu  - or - jwm@aplvax.uucp  - or - meritt%aplvm.BITNET