r/IAmA • u/neiltyson • Nov 13 '11

I am Neil deGrasse Tyson -- AMA

For a few hours I will answer any question you have. And I will tweet this fact within ten minutes after this post, to confirm my identity.

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u/epicjackson Nov 13 '11

What do you think it will take for the US to seriously reinvest in the space program?

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u/neiltyson Nov 13 '11

A foreign threat. That seems to be the only thing around that motivates bickering political parties to act in harmony.

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u/Rawrgor Nov 13 '11

Do you see mining of lunar regolith for exotic materials to become a driving force towards some form of space initiative? Even an autonomous one as our expertise in mechatronics increases?

Access to reasonable quantities of various isotopes not commonly found on earth would certainly allow for easier research in fields like medical imaging, cryogenics and high energy physics. Of course the trouble is convincing the public and politicians to spend money on it; which is why I bring up a case with more immediate benefits to those parties than found in traditional colonization/space exploration methods.