[mikkupikku]

> ""useful"

Fuck all of it is useful besides satellites. Even the HST is only marginally useful; useful for fields of research which will almost certainly never have tangible benefits for life on Earth, built to satisfy our curiosity about phenomena too large and far from Earth to ever be put into use here on Earth.

Nonetheless, interesting? You're bonkers if a system like the Apollo program and all associated hardware isn't at least interesting.

[saidnooneever]

who wants to spend billions on peace and food for everyone if you can have pretty pictures of a barren wasteland millions of miles away. simple logic.

just be happy there's no cats in space to take pictures of otherwise all would be lost.

[FuriouslyAdrift]

Big multi-disciplinary problems typically yield vast amounts of ancillary technology and solutions that may last generations... small sample fo things that either were invented for the Apollo program or became commercially viable:

Heat-resistant fabrics for fire fighting

Smoke detectors

portable oxygen

memory foam

kapton insulating foil

cordless tools

solar panels

modern water purification

clear optics grade plastics

freeze dried food

the dustbuster

CMOS digital image sensors

Vacuum packaging

Shock-absorbing shoe soles

modern artificial limbs

insulin pump

scratch resistant lenses

LASIK

wireless headsets

grooved pavement

air purifiers

LEDs

de-icing systems for aircraft

[mikkupikku]

Do you really believe we'd have "peace and food for everyone" if not for Apollo? Really?

Or is this an unserious argument you can use to nitpick anything? Why is my local government building another playground when they could be feeding African orphans??

[saidnooneever]

well ofcourse it was a bit unserious. it has no backing :D happy someone made a big list of tech that came out of it. thats good stuff.

and another playground isnt really comparable investment (or i am really jeolous of the kids in your neighborhood damn!) :p