What Do You Think Of The Exploration Of Space? [We Ask You]

The successful landing, after a long journey and torrid descent, of the Mars rover Curiosity by NASA (North American Space Agency) has been greeted with excitement by geeks around the world. Curiosity has now begun its two-year mission to explore the surface of Mars and ultimately determine whether life in any form has ever survived out there on the red planet. And you can track its progress using these methods.

Just about the only good thing to come out of World War II was the rocket technology that eventually led to us as a species conquering what James T. Kirk calls “the final frontier.” But what do you personally feel about the exploration of space, both in the past decades and at the present time? We Ask You what you think, and we hope you’ll be both honest and robust in expressing your views on the topic at hand.

This Week’s Question…
What Do You Think Of The Exploration Of Space?

I admit this is one epic question that could lead down a number of different routes. We must begin with the question of how you feel about the new Mars mission… are you excited at seeing a man-made object on the surface of Mars preparing to explore? Do you think Curiosity will turn up anything new and/or unexpected or will it just confirm what we already know or at least think we know?

Beyond that how do you think humanity – and I’m including more than just NASA in that – has done so far in exploring space. Do you think the whole idea is a pointless waste of time, money, and effort? Or should higher budgets be given to space programs around the world to launch shuttles, space stations, astronauts, and missions to distant planets and, eventually, other solar systems?

Do you want to see us pushing the boundaries and taking risks in order to reach further out from our own tiny planet? Or are there more pressing concerns at home in the real world that you’d prefer were tackled first? This is your opportunity to air your views on humanity’s quest to reach beyond the stars, whether you think it should be the ultimate aim for our species or regarded as nothing but a sideshow.

Drawing Conclusions

All comments will be digested to form conclusions in a follow-up post next week where we will detail what You Told Us. One reader will be chosen for the coveted ‘Comment Of The Week’, getting their name up in lights, the respect of other readers, and 150 MakeUseOf points to use for Rewards or Giveaways. What more motivation than that do you need to respond?

We Ask You is a weekly column dedicated to finding out the opinions of MakeUseOf readers. The questions asked are usually open-ended and likely to start a conversation. Some are opinion-based, while others see you sharing tips and advice, or advocating tools and apps to fellow MakeUseOf Readers. This column is nothing without you, as MakeUseOf is nothing without you.

Image Credit: Matthew Simantov

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