We need to invest way more in space
Finally, a recognized figure speaks out about something I wrote about on my previous blog, years ago: the dire need for colonies in space to improve the chances of human survival. The CNN article contains a comment about how science won't be up to the challenge in 50 years. But that misses the point. The science won't be up to it because countries spend ridiculously little on space research compared to how much they spend for social transfers, armies, and pork. Here's a snippet from the estimated US federal spending for 2005 : Total federal budget: $2,479 billion Military spending: $466 billion Income security transfers: $313 billion Social security transfers: $456 billion Farmers' subsidies (a complete waste of money): $31 billion General science and basic research: $7 billion NASA: $15 billion Have you ever wondered why so much technology (like the Internet? GPS? airplanes?) is developed for the military first, and then seeps out to find use in the public