View Poll Results: Should we launch our garbage into space? (Please take this seriously... PLEASE!!!)

Voters
23. You may not vote on this poll
  • Of course we should.

    6 26.09%
  • We should not.

    10 43.48%
  • Only nuclear, toxic, or dangerous waste...

    2 8.70%
  • Send it into deep space/sun

    5 21.74%

Thread: Launching Garbage into space...

  1. #31
    Disagreeably Disagreeable
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    Originally posted by kermi3
    $9,360,000,000 EVERY DAY!!!

    and that's just New York....


    Moreover what are you going to do whne it crashes? You've just put toxic wast in a n air burst all over the planet.


    If you actually beleive anyone here is serious about launching all of the world's (or even just the States') garbage into space everyday, then well you're sadly mistaken...I hope.

    >One NASA craft has exploded during launch. That was 20 years
    ago. I think NASA has pretty much perfected the process of
    getting things into space. And even if it's not perfect, it's still
    a chance that's worth taking.<

    Ditto. I think the argument that it's too dangerous is rubbish. Sure, it's not perfect but no mode of transporation is perfect. Cars will crash, airplanes will fall, trains will derail, shuttles will explode. No news to me...

  2. #32
    Registered User xds4lx's Avatar
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    I think that sending it towards the sun is the way to go, but the cost of it is just way too much right now. Maybe 10 years from now when space has been comerciallized (hopefully) then maybe it will be feasable, by then we should be using some very high tech propulsion methods.
    "only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and im not sure about the former." - albert einstein

  3. #33
    Lead Moderator kermi3's Avatar
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    [QUOTEWhat are you going to do when there is no more planet? When everything is covered in garbage, and all of that toxic waste starts seeping into the ground water? There're only so many acres of Earth.[/QUOTE]

    Oh I absolutly agree....I just think the money would be better spen developing new ways to produce things nad better sorts of energy os such things are burned for fuel, recycled, or never produced in the first place. Moreover, there would be just as many problems putting it into space, you make it much more dangerous for satalites, and future space launches, and I'd also like to point out that earth's weather is very delicate, mass trash in orbit would effect weather patterns I bet.


    That price you keep quoting is... That's how much it would cost
    currenty. Nobody ever said that we're going to start launching
    trash into space today. By the time an actual plan is developed,
    the cost would go down. NASA is already working on cheaper
    ways to launch things into space.

    http://fyi.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/...aglev.launches/
    $10,000/pound -> $1,000/pound. That's a big difference.
    That price I keep quoting if you read the link i gave to Nasa is only $360/pound.

    >AMTRAK

    Are you actually comparing AMTRAK to NASA?

    One NASA craft has exploded during launch. That was 20 years
    ago. I think NASA has pretty much perfected the process of
    getting things into space. And even if it's not perfect, it's still
    a chance that's worth taking.
    Ok amtrak was a joke .

    Now I give you this...and I didn't look hard:
    http://www.fas.org/spp/military/prog...h/98-08-05.htm


    If you actually beleive anyone here is serious about launching all of the world's (or even just the States') garbage into space everyday, then well you're sadly mistaken...I hope.
    Absolutly not, but that price I've given is just for one city. It would be much more expensive even if if you just take the toxic waste from the world. Especially since you have tyo be MUCH more careful even thinking about toxic waste!

    Ditto. I think the argument that it's too dangerous is rubbish. Sure, it's not perfect but no mode of transporation is perfect. Cars will crash, airplanes will fall, trains will derail, shuttles will explode. No news to me...
    You're right all these things happen, however think of this:

    Car crashes - maybe 4 people die
    Plane's crash - maybe 300 worst case (assuming non-terrorist)
    A Spacecraft carrying nuclear waste explodes, or the orbital container leaks:

    Raddiation spreads over the entire planet, probobly not concentrated enough to caus radiation poisoning but it would increase rates of cancer I'm sure. Plus there are many other creatures in the world that are much more sensitive to radiation taht we are and that would mess up ecosystems all over the place.

    Toxic waste could be just as bad, and you think acid rain is bad? What about strieght up chemical rain? Or radioactive rain?
    Kermi3

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  4. #34
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    And when the junk falls back from the sky where do they land? The last two hit here, in Western Australia (skylab was the biggest and brightest).

    >>I think NASA has pretty much perfected the process of getting things into space.

    And converting between Imperial and Metric measurements.

    How many do they launch a year? (calculate a failure rate ect)


    Hey, don't pick on AMTRAK.

    We are going to sell them our automated train safety system and make a squillion. Then who will be laughing?
    "Man alone suffers so excruciatingly in the world that he was compelled to invent laughter."
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  5. #35
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    >And when the junk falls back from the sky where do they land? The last two hit here, in Western Australia (skylab was the biggest and brightest).<

    It will only fall back to earth if we put it in orbit. I think most here that think it should be launched into space would not want to simply launch it into orbit.

    >And converting between Imperial and Metric measurements.<

    Heh...a simple mistake. C'mon, really, that's a low blow. Still funny though...

  6. #36
    Shadow12345
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    I didn't read this entire thread but remember we have to actually launch it into space, meaning using up energy (launching things out of the atmosphere requires a great deal of it, whether it be fossil fuels or whatever we are using).

    Plus, how do you know that this unusable garbage won't be usabe later on as technology increases. Once you start getting rid of matter from Earth, it cannot come back (although we may one day be able to grab asteroids from orbits and use matter we find in them).

    How do you know that there wont' be a lot of space traffic one day? I mean yes, we are probably a ways away from actually using space extensively, but I also doubt the first proto humans ever imagined cars, or buildings, or guns, or any of that cool **** we have today.

    And lastly what if we DO ........ of a lot of aliens? That can't be good!

    EDIT:
    woot my 400th post!

  7. #37
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    Personally, I think it is a decent way of getting rid of the byproducts of fission, which is really nice, wonderful, etc for everyone who has been lied to by Ralph Nader. If handled properly, accidents like Chernobyl and 3M Island are very rare. It does produce some nasty byproducts, but its cleaner than pretty much any other practical alternative...until some smart guy manages to get fusion right, which will be make everything all better.
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  8. #38
    Registered User Jet_Master's Avatar
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    what if we DO ........ of a lot of aliens? That can't be good!
    I dont know why we would be ........ing off aliens. We are not littering space with paper and plastic stuff randomly scattered or stinky wet garbage bags... all the garbage will be inside a space shuttle. And so far, there are already many space shuttles in space - and we dont see any ........ed off aliens trying to sue us or blow up our planet.
    And like i said, space doesnt belong to them anyway - they cannot go saying that we littered up their residence...

    If any aliens show up, we can sop putting stuff up there, but until then, that is not a matter of concern...

    How do you know that there wont' be a lot of space traffic one day? I mean yes, we are probably a ways away from actually using space extensively, but I also doubt the first proto humans ever imagined cars, or buildings, or guns, or any of that cool **** we have today.
    True, but we have to get our priorities right. What is more important to us - to keep the earth clean and save some land, or keep space totally free of garbage so that maybe in a couple hundred or more years it will be much easier to put ONE MORE shuttle into space...

    it is also true that people long ago didnt imagine cars or buildings or stuff. but now we have all that - which shows that technology is evolving and advancing at a faster rate.
    I know someone will comment on my above statement that it will not take as long as a couple hundred years to fill up our orbit if we keep launching garbaeg... but that's not my point. we should not launch every bit we got. We should keep recycling and finding ways of making recyclable stuff. but what about all the non-recyclable stuff we made already? we cannot just burn everything in one big fire... what will that do to the air...?
    So as i was saying.... technology is evolving and advancing at a faster rate. so if we start planning now, by the time we will actually be launching something, we will have developed better technology - afterall, necessity is the mother of invention!
    I am the Alpha and the Omega!!!

  9. #39
    Much older and wiser Fountain's Avatar
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    hey, the aliens may be interested in our garbage-maybe we can sell it to them.

    Or we could just blast it into the sun as described, and every1 is happy.
    Such is life.

  10. #40
    Registered User Jet_Master's Avatar
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    thanx guys, i finished my essay and handed it in... this poll and thread did help.

    Note to kermi3: i didn't "copy" or "plageurize" anything here, so dont go saying you were doing my homework... lol
    I am the Alpha and the Omega!!!

  11. #41
    Lead Moderator kermi3's Avatar
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    lol good, I'd love to see a copy of it if you don't mind.... but hey, if you want to quote me anytime feel free....just site me
    Kermi3

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  12. #42
    Registered User Jet_Master's Avatar
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    well, i would love to quote you, but you know there is a kind of a rule (or falacy) while writing an essay:
    it is called "misplaced authourity"
    it says that by quoting someone who is not in any place of power or great knowledge about a topic, you will just weaken your essay. so i would rather quote some nasa scientists or people rather... no offense...

    lol
    I am the Alpha and the Omega!!!

  13. #43
    Lead Moderator kermi3's Avatar
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    lol How do you know I'm not in some place of great knowlage etc? I am a Moderator at CProgramming.com! hehe
    Kermi3

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  14. #44
    TransparentMember correlcj's Avatar
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    Thats a great idea!

    lol How do you know I'm not in some place of great knowlage etc? I am a Moderator at CProgramming.com! hehe
    I think that would be a great idea. First off it would never make it anywhere near the sun and second shooting trash into outerspace is a fantastic idea. It would solve our pollution dillema and if it tried to come back to the earth it would only burn up in hyperspace or re-entry.
    it would cost us tax payers probably a billion dollars but i've seen them literally spend money like it was nothing so might as well use it for something good.
    GREAT IDEA!:
    D

  15. #45
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    Conceptually, launching into the sun isn't a bad idea, it just won't work. Orbital mechanics. Energy cost way too high. Earth orbit is a bad idea. Hazard to navigation. About the only thing you might want to get off planet is radioactive waste. On the moon perhaps.

    The best solution under current technology is incineration for the vast majority of solid waste. Recycle the valuable stuff, aluminum and the like. Burn the organics, plastic, paper. Use the heat to generate electricity. The CO2 might (if we're really lucky) get us through the next Maunder Minimum in spite of the Church of Global Warming.

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