Can We Justify This?

As long as space exploration is being funded by taxpayer dollars, the taxpayers have a right to know what their hard-earned money is being used for.  I understand their concern about the public not wanting to fund research on sex in space, but I think it is wrong to keep us in the dark about what they are really doing.  If they can justify their actions and provide the public with a rationale, I don’t see why they can’t leave this up to the public to decide?  If they give us the truth about why they want to study and experiment with human reproduction in space, then the taxpayers can make an informed decision about this issue and others related to it.  They should at least have a say in the matter.

            I understand the scientists’ concerns about the need for these kinds of studies, but I personally don’t feel like it is really worth it – based on what I know so far after watching these episodes of The Universe.  The concern that the human race on Earth will someday be wiped out is a legitimate concern, but I don’t think life on Mars is a feasible option to prevent the eradication of the human race.  In all likelihood, I think if the human race is destroyed here on Earth it will probably occur by our own doing, so instead of wasting money coming up with Plan B, maybe we should be more proactive here on Earth and work to prevent that concern from becoming reality in the first place.  Another problem with this plan is that Mars will never be Earth.  We cannot just pick up our lives here on planet Earth and move them to Mars.  Life on Mars will always be a desolate struggle for survival.  It is a kind of life that I would never want to live.  It is also virtually impossible to simply move the entire human race to Mars.  If the rationale behind this concept is to provide an alternative place for humans to live when the Earth can no longer sustain us, how do we justify leaving people behind, because we certainly can’t take all of them and squeeze them into the little colonies?  How do we decide who gets to live and who doesn’t?  Do we only take the wealthy who can pay their own way?  Do we only take those considered smart enough to be useful?  If NASA is the one working on this plan, does that mean only Americans get to go since it was our tax dollars that funded the research in the first place?  These are all questions that must be answered.  The issue of reproduction in space is just one part of an even bigger issue that must be analyzed.