With all the news about Orion and the upcoming missions to Mars by SpaceX and Mars One we wanted to pose the question – is it all worth it?
It’s expensive, it’s dangerous, and the average person doesn’t get a lot out of it – or do they?
Elon Musk (SpaceX) has stated that an aspirational price goal for a trip to Mars might be on the order of US$500,000, something that he says “most people in advanced countries, in their mid-forties or something like that, could put together [to make the trip].”
Carl Sagan expressed his enthusiasm by quoting Moby Dick – “I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas…”, speaking for “wanderers in all epochs and meridians”.
Richard Branson aims to get you into space as a tourist. He plans to promote space tourism for around US$200,000 a ticket (to the Karman line, 100km up). “Only 547 People Have Been To Space. Virgin Galactic Is Opening Space To The Rest Of Us.”
Admiral Harold Gehman argued that “if we are to accept the costs and risks of human spaceflight, we need to have goals worthy of those costs and risks”. Some would say NASA has been lacking these initiatives for several decades now.
Lots of opinions, lots of changes to the way we see space exploration, and some of the benefits – but what’s your opinion, is it all worth it?
Listen to us on iTunes, Stitcher or right here now…
We hope you like our new format.
While you’re listening, check our out latest Flipboard relating to the podcast here.
As always, thank you to our Contributors.
Go2 Podcast 