[trose]

At some point here we're going to have to stop drawing silly lines on the ground and consider ourselves all humans. We have a finite amount of time to get off the planet or our whole species is doomed.

[kbenson]

It's possible that in some respects those silly lines actually accelerate some aspects for getting off planet. They undoubtedly retard others as well.

For a very simplistic example, I doubt we would have been to the moon yet if not for those silly lines.

[eru]

Though, getting to the moon didn't really give us anything (apart from seeing it as a valuable thing in itself).

[mblakele]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program#Legacy

  > Apollo stimulated many areas of technology. The flight computer design used in both the lunar and command modules was, along with the Minuteman Missile System, the driving force behind early research into integrated circuits. Computer-controlled machining was first used in the fabrication of Apollo structural components.

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_spin-off_technologies

[eru]

Ok. I guess I'd have to make a more nuanced argument that the same amount of money would have gone further in terms of advances somewhere else.

[tterrace]

The lunar laser ranging experiment was used to observe the effects of relativity: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunar_Laser_Ranging_experiment

[JasonFruit]

And, if we get off the planet, we have a finite amount of time before our whole species is doomed. It's possible to have too great a sense of urgency about issues regarding the entire human race.

[HeyLaughingBoy]

Where do you propose we go?