Which is what we've been doing via manned and unmanned space flights for the past 60 years, and via telescope since the 1600s. The two voyager probes have been checking things out for the past 40 years.

We haven't been sitting on our hands.

I feel left out, thanks Trollheart. Screw you. :D

In my previous first post on the subject I said solar system.

If Frowny wants to exploit a typo then I'm happy for him.

And that can be expanded. Congratulations, you've come around to my point.

I say we pay for space exploration with religious tithes. The catholic church could literally fund the entire program. Whos with me?

We've also been exploring Mars with rovers that require several minutes just to send a signal to "go forward" or "turn right", and which get stuck on small rocks and become unusable. So yeah, clearly we're top flight space explorers already.

I think "Pillage the Vatican" has potential as a t-shirt.

Thats a good band name.

Lol Frown, is that a british comedy or something? Hilarious.

Of course it can. But at what cost to we, the people? At this point of our economy I just think it's frivolous.

And that's after spending many trillions of dollars since 1957. And the costs of those space toys will only keep getting higher while our economy gets more and more divided between the rich and the rest of us.

I know, there's currently 540 billionaires in the United States. If each of them pitches in a measly 10 million then that'll be $5.4 billion to kickstart the space program. I'd get behind that in a heartbeat.

That's be like having a hundred dollars and only pitching in a penny - they can handle that.