This is rather a breath of fresh air, since so many Credentialed Media outlets and liberals are doing some hating, often saying we could have spent the money on something else because it happened while Trump is president
Of course, at least 70% of the money would have been wasted and disappeared into people’s pockets. The NY Times thought it was best to discuss China first
Anyhow
America launches its bid to reach Mars
The Artemis II mission is an extraordinary feat of American ingenuity.The launch of NASA’s Orion spacecraft off the coast of Florida on Wednesday began the first crewed flight around the moon in a half-century. But it also marked the beginning of something more exciting: The Artemis II mission is America’s opening bid for deep space exploration — an ambition that is well worth its hefty price tag.
Some taxpayers watching Artemis II might think, “Been there, done that.” Americans first went to the moon in 1969. And by the time the Artemis program puts humans back on the moon’s surface in 2028, it’s projected to cost $105 billion.
This mission is best understood not as a return to the moon, but as the stepping stone to landing humans on Mars. NASA’s robots have discovered tantalizing clues to potential ancient microbes on the Red Planet. The space agency is hoping to use Artemis II to help demonstrate life-support and communications systems for a Mars mission, which would take two to three years round trip. Perfecting that technology is the largest remaining technical hurdle to sending humans to Mars.
The agency also hopes this flight can lead to a permanent human presence on the lunar surface, which would involve setting up a colony and regularly launching crewed spaceflights there. Such a colony — as well as a “Gateway” space station above the moon — could support research on Earth’s partner in orbit and serve as a training ground for a Mars mission.
There are three more paragraphs in the editorial, and, the funny thing is, the WP fails to mention Donald J. Trump once, even though this started under his leadership and with requests for funding from his administration. Hell, they don’t even mention Joe Biden, as the development continued during his time in office with more funding allocations. One of the only Trump 1st term things he didn’t kill off.
Regardless, cheers to the mission, and cross your fingers that it is a success.
Our government decides how to spend our tax dollars. For example, we decide to spend well over a TRILLION dollars a year on the Department of War, veteran care, military research and military debt.
The War Department is demanding another $200 BILLIION to support their botched, wasteful and unnecessary pseudo-war supporting Israel. (Aside – Iran is a brutal autocracy dangerous to its own people and neighboring nation. “Regime change” would be great, but neither easy or simple nor the responsibiliity of the United States’ taxpayers. All autocracies are bad – Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, North Korea, a dozen African nations.)
Should we be spending billions, even trillions on space exploration? One argument is that other nations will dominate outer space to the detriment of the U.S.! Are there valuable resources on our Moon and/or Mars that require humans to harvest? Is manned exploration needed to further understand the universe?
In general, conservatives and specifically MAGAts, eschew scientific research likely because research can reveal the truths that counter mythologies. But military research is a diifferent beast.
TL;DNR