Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to Ya know, that's actually a pretty good post.

Thanks. BTW, prizes leverage up to 50 times their amount in investment pursuing them.
~tax leech — (archived)

Thanks. BTW, prizes leverage up to 50 times their amount in terms of investment pursuing them. The DARPA Grand Challenge prize was inadequate but that 50:1 multiple nevertheless applied EVEN AFTER NUMEROUS TEAMS WERE WEEDED OUT OF THE COMPETITION. As Burt Rutan can confirm, this sort of multiple has traditionally applied. You might also want to ask him if discussions about space prizes belong on an "off topic" board. ;-)

You asked about what would happen to "losers" in the astronomy field. I'm in favor of having prizes for 2nd and 3rd and 4th place, etcetera. What I'd really like to see, though, is prizes for the discovery of certain things, like more planets, or better ways of viewing the ones we've already discovered, or something SETI-related. And I'd like to see a lot more PRACTICAL application for astronomy...such as plasma-related research that can finally bring about nuclear FUSION. Is ALL the astronomy-related data remotely potentially useful? I wonder how much is clearly eternally almost worthless.

As for commercial applications for astronomy, venture capitalists apparently tend to consider it "commercialization" even if the only real commercial application is mere sponsorship. Universities and other entities have taken risks in building telescopes and such that they don't know will get NSF or NASA funding later, right? Risks get taken and when more of a meritocracy is established, further risks will likely get taken still.

Right now, those who get tax-subsidized contracts for astronomy-related research tend to be deprived of the satisfaction that pursuing prizes and being rewarded for RESULTS can foster. They wind up sublimating their frustrations by doing stuff as off-the-wall as making vicious, uncalled for attacks on BBS forums. Let's enable them to challenge such energies for the betterment of humanity. Let's offer them competitive prizes for a change. Once they get over their initial animosity for those who displaced some in their niche, they'll actually be happy about their career choices, I predict. And we might finally discover signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life along the way, too. Think what THAT would do for prizes budgets regarding space.

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