Are the space shuttle and space station really worth the cost and risk?

It depends on your point of view. People who really want to learn about the universe would say it is worth the risk. Others would say it is a waste of time. I personally say it's worth the risk.

It is worth it if you want to think about and believe what is bound to happen to the human race. The way we are currently going, we will do the following for sure, it's just a matter of time:

1) pollute and poison the earth so much that it will be uninhabitable.

2) over populate and destroy the food sources so much that the population won't be sustainable.

If we go with this theory, the only possible way out may end up being space where by taking the chances, we may find another habitable planet and move the population. But we can't dig a well when the house is burning -so to speak and so we build the space station now so that it can be the harbinger of new things to come.

Just my 2 points worth.

Look in front of you. See that computer? The only reason it was initially developed was for the space program.

And that's the thing with expensive research of that type... who really knows what kind of technological spin-offs it will produce? Maybe a variant of space shuttle foam will become commonly used in ovens. Maybe working with pressurization will produce entirely different aerosol cans. Maybe zero-gee filtration will produce miraculous new medicines. It's hard to tell what, exactly, is going to pan out until you throw a lot of money at it sometimes.

But the benefits in the past have been almost so tremendous as to be unfathomable.

Currently I don't feel they are. Had we attempted to set up colonies on the moon making efforts to push civilization deeper into space I would be all for it. The technology benefits we gain from space exploration are definitely a benefit, but how much more would we benefit from spending the same amount of money to explore our oceans to the fullest extent?

YES. It is a supreme example of human endeavor to discovery and enterprise. It is bound to benefit humanity in times to come. If Edison thought the same way imagine our life today. Such endeavors must be encouraged. Let us not forget we have used up at least 1/4 the resources of planet Earth in a mere million years of Human existence on the planet.(out of 5000million years of Earth's life). What if we a catastrophe staring humanity? Such explorations and expertise and knowledge gained will save humanity one day!

Yes! we need to get the space jobs done what they are doing is something about our future and maybe a new world to live on id any thing happens to earth.

Sure they are if we new the technology that our goverment was truly capable of most of americans wouldn't even believe it .

Do you honestly think we went to the Moon 30+yrs ago ?

why no pictures of the Flag on the Moon today ?

Cause they arn't there!

We have to make it look like we've been there all along ...

NO its a huge waste of time and money what is the point of going to the moon???????????

No way, it is ridiculous how much it is!