That the discovery of a solar system nearly 40 lightyears away that contains seven planets orbiting a star and some of the planets may have elements capable of sustaining life. Supporters say the discovery leads to the importance of exploring the solar system and the universe while some have criticized the need to spend money on nasa and Space Exploration. For the next hour we want to get your thoughts on the topic of exploration and costs and if you think it is worth it to explore the universe. 2027488000 for those who it support exploration and 2027488001 if you oppose space explorers and, and if youre not sure, 2027488002. Host post on our twitter feed and our Facebook Page. Facebook. Com cspan. From the Washington Post, highlighting the discovery from 1. A, calling it trapist less than a 10th of the size of our own sun and a quarter as warm, the planets circle, it takes one day and a half to complete in orbit and the most distance takes 20 days come if the planets orbited a larger and brighter start they would be fried to a crisp but this is so cold that all seven of the bodies are bathed in the right amount of work to hold liquid water and three receive the same amount of heat is venus, earth, mars, putting them in the habitable zone where it is thought that life will thrive. They call these world earthlike worlds earthlike. Their star butom also a lot that makes our planet livable besides being a warm rock. That is more of what the discovery is this week and we want to take the larger issue of exploring the universe and the cost associated. To give us your thoughts on if you think Space Exploration is youh it, 2027488000 if want to call and say you think that Space Exploration is worth it. If you oppose specter exploration Space Exploration and 2027488002 if you are not sure. The budget from nasa, 18 billion budget overall with 5 billion slated for science which includes exploring the earth and planetary sciences. Space operations comes in at 4. 6 billion and another 4 billion for Space Exploration. Not all the subcategories to the 18 billion but some of the money that is spent on nasa. Your thoughts on if you think that when it comes to Space Exploration, if you think it is worth the time and effort and money to do so. Give us a call and also post on our Facebook Page at facebook. Com cspan and also tweet us. More of the discovery made by scientists, a press briefing this week on nasa tv and here is one of the scientist talking about the discovery and its importance. for the first time for the first time, a single star the first time we have measured both the mass and the radii of the habitable zone earth sized planets. The planets are among the best of all the planets to follow up and see where the telescope we launched last year, the atmospheres and the signatures if there are any. The discovery gives us a hint that finding a second earth is not just a matter of if but when. Scientists believe that around every star there could be one planet, 5, 7, you can imagine how many worlds are out there that have a shot at becoming a habitable ecosystem that we could explore. Story is ae in this major step forward towards answering one of these very questions at the heart of so many of our philosophers. What we are thinking about when we are by ourselves, are we alone . A step forward with this, a big forward towards answering that question and i am really excited for you to hear about it now. Host that was one of the scientists involved in the discovery of this system. Find out more at the nasa website, go to cspan. Org to see more of the press conference. Richard rogers says when it comes to the topic of Space Exploration and is it worth the cost, and american Space Exploration is a great investment, i am for it. Billy from columbus, ohio, the support line, go ahead. Caller i believe we need to explore space because the earth will not last forever. The money we are spending on useless things, space explorer is and is one of the best things we can spend it on. Host what is a useless thing currently we are spending money on, you would want to see that money spent on Space Exploration . Caller i would rather see our money used more wisely and Space Exploration is a wise use of our money because look at what is happening in the last 10 years, 20 years. The Different Things we have discovered in space because of our Space Exploration. It makes sense to me. Ont theresa in california our line for those who support Space Exploration. How are you . Caller i am fine, how are you . Host fine, go ahead. Caller i think Space Exploration is vital. I think we need to learn more about our universe that we live in. I think that the technology that occurs when you have a Space Program helps the whole world. Host do you think people get the idea that you are proposing, even if we spent a lot of money to look into the universe that somehow it affects the person at home and could benefit a person at home . Caller i do not think most people are thinking that. Out of the Space Program we had before in the early stages, we have a microwave, the computers, we have all of this stuff, technology we never had. Host charlie is calling saying that he opposes this idea that the cost of Space Exploration, tell us why . Hi. Caller hi. The reason is because we have so many issues on earth that we need to deal with. Carbon, andwarming, clean energy. Poverty all over the world. More peace efforts instead of wars. Dealtny things here to be with. Great we can find out things about the universe and it is overwhelming and informative but i think we have better spending our money here. Host i am looking at the budget for nasa and about 2 billion for science exploration. If you know that nasa is doing research on Earth Sciences and things like climate, would that change your mind about funding other aspects of nasa, including Space Exploration . Caller the little portion they learn compared to what we could ,e learning right here on earth i do not think we have to go to that we have minds here could put to work and figure out these things without going to space. We can figure out distances from this planet to that planet and that is figured out right here. We do not have to drive there to find out how far it is. Example. Aybe a poor you understand what i am saying . Host i understand. I live for those who support Space Exploration and for those who do not and those who are not sure. That is the thought of kenny from georgia. Tell us why . Caller we have to be careful what we wish for, we look for aliens, we may find some and bring them to earth and we as a human race, we cannot get along with each other. We need to be careful about this face stuff. Space stuff. Host a website has a story about nasa currently thinking about, or at least contemplating ewe idea of adding a manned cr for a first launch of a rocket designed to further demand graham saying that nasa is weighing the risk of adding a true to its mega rocket will eventually send cruise to mars, the human eye explore asian chief said friday that his boss in the Trump Administration asked for a Feasibility Study and the objective is to see what it would take to speed up a manned mission under the current plan, they would not climb aboard the rocket until 2021 at best and nasa shooting for a test like next year. According to an independent safety panel, they caution that nasa needed a reason to put astronauts on the initial quite given the risk that the Aerospace SafetyAdvisory Panel on in the wake of the apollo one fire that killed three astronauts in a countdown test 50 years ago last month, a capsule that will carry the astronauts already has flown a space them out containing memorabilia and toys, it was launched into a long orbit in 2014 by a delta four rocket and splashed down in the pacific. One discovery of space and this discovery from earlier this week announced by nasa scientist is another. If you go to the nasa website, they have computer animation, computernd video animation is best to describe it of what the discoveries may look like. Go to the website. Using not only this discovery but a larger discussion about Space Exploration and your thinking on it. Do you think it is worth the money . Lance from wisconsin, a supporter of these efforts. Caller how are you . Host fine thank you, how are you . Caller we watch cspan everyday for years and yours. Kenny says he is frayed about bringing that afraid about bringing e. T. I do not think so. We need to explore like man has done when we came on this planet either by divine or random selection. Another caller said that unlimited budget for climate change. We have many regulations in this country. Over any other country of the 200 nations. China will come to the conclusion present that they need regulations. But reasonable ones. We want to explore our own solar system. Is tor project we have explore not the universe but our galaxy. If there is a chance there is life, investigate it. Lightyears,fly 40 you will investigate it like man has always done and investigate the United States to find out the world is not flat. Overboard. Not give them what the scientists need as far as funding and grants. Host in this day and age, do you think manned missions should be part of exploration or should it be left to technology . Caller i would not volunteer for it myself, cap robotics and event intelligence artificial intelligence, many ways to do it. Science fiction writers have led the way, 100 years ago jules vern and his friends. We know what to do as far as common sense, do what john kennedy, not just a democrat or republican, and explorer like the rest of us. But as people out there and the right funding into it. He let us have a magnificent 16 years, eight years of trump and eight years of pent, things will be normal in no time. Host somerset new jersey, supporting space expiration. Caller cspan does a great job, thank you. I think this is very important. The last eight years that we did not use our own rockets to send and hado space stations to catch a ride with the russians was terribly embarrassing. I do believe this is because president obama was against space, one of those people who believed like in the 1960s that all the money spent on space when we have so many problems on earth, he did not give a state funeral to Neil Armstrong when he passed away and john glenn also did not have a gigantic unless he did not want it, a state funeral, he did not want to pay for those things, those are very important, we need heroes, who have done great things. I believe we have lost who we are as a people. We should be on mars. We should have a base on the moon. How many people do not realize how much we got from the 1960s Space Program to the moon . Cell phones and things like that that rall developed by the technology done because of the moon. Denton, texas, opposing line. Caller thank you for taking my call. Host go ahead. Caller i oppose this until we can get this country in order. There are people who have been screaming and shouting for this president to make sure that he provides jobs for those who are here on this planet. Therefore, lets get the people in this planet in order and get them a job, coal miners, or whoever else, if those jobs plan for Space Exploration will be given to those people in kentucky and all of the other wisconsin, that is fine but these people need jobs here, Affordable Health care here, lets take care of that first. Set aside funds to do the Necessary Research but focus on getting people here in this planet taken care of. Thank you for taking my call. Host karen off of twitter says i had a few view of the moon a good view of the moon, venus, i never sent i grew up with the space race. Remy press conference this week some of the scientists had a chance to talk about not only the discovery, its important for both now and also in the future. Here is a scientist from the conference. I want to remind you that although it may sound discouraging, in our lifetime we will not have a way to see how 1, but wetrappist have these sophisticated space else goes and future ones and are big on remote testing, that is what we have to live for, we are excited about the availability of telescopes to see what is there rather than leaving it there to future generations. Ohio,kenneth in dayton, he is not sure, why . Caller thank you for accepting my call. I am not sure about the process because we do have a lot of things to work on here on planet earth with the economy and getting people back to work, infrastructure and focus on that. Sometimes i believe that just too much money goes into this type of program. For the return, if there is something that they can tell us, this is really going to benefit the multitude of people in our country, where all these billions of dollars are going to, i can understand doing that. At a time when everything is that a struggle, one step away and on the banana peel to a recession every time we turn around with the political climate. It is prioritizing. I still believe that too much money and not enough knowledge i believe people can take the knowledge, people can understand coming from nasa, they are telling us things we need to know and the urgency to spin these billions of dollars spin these billions of dollars, not including the black programs that we know nothing about. And possibly so many hundreds of years ahead of us. Congress god to make the president is probably not allowed to know some of these things. Some of the money going places over things we have no control whatsoever. Host lets go to catherine in lancaster, california, for line. Good morning. Caller hi. Good morning, this is catherine. I think it is wise to look to the future and to go ahead with the exploration and spending the money. I think that the money is an issue. People, if the wealthy who are making billions of dollars and to have just been given an enormous tax cut, if they would additionally do what gw bush gave them, that would help a lot toward this sort of progress. We will need it in the future. Money. Said, there is ,f the wealthy are willing to theseow, you know, deny tax cuts, they have more than enough money and they are very wealthy. I think also this administration could care less. His interest is in making more money. Through buying oil, i think his thinking is in now, today. I do not think there will be new jobs anyone can count on that has a decent salary. Att staying with the topic hand, twitter, why are we spending huge amounts looking for life in outer space, spend those billions of taxpayers on people here in the usa. Another tweet, a subject we may be able to agree on, miracles can happen. Lets go to bethel, ohio, steve. Caller give the money away instead of people giving it to work. Host steve from ohio, you are on the air. Caller this is steve. I am for it because we would not have tang if we did not have the Space Program, thank you. Host bob from north carolina. He opposes this effort. Caller how are you doing . Thank you for cspan. Not that i oppose it or support it, just asking the wrong question. By publicng sold relations people not telling us the truth. For instance, the planets they just discovered are 40 light years away to get there it would take us one million years of space travel, traveling at the speed of light, one million years to get there. It is absurd to think we will learn anything. No one will be around. , the people that are working on these programs are brilliant people. Their minds are being wasted on programs that will not produce a single thing. I saw the spokesman on television today saying that we have to find out if we are alone in the universe. It is absurd to think that we are not alone in the universe. Here has to be other planets it does not mean anything if there are because there is nothing we can do about it. We cannot even explore the planets next to us. We cannot get out of our own solar system. Our solar system is a small part of the galaxy. Our galaxy is a small part of the universe. To think that we could get anything useful other than more war equipment out of this is absurd. Host you just saw some artists conceptions courtesy of nasa and another one in the Washington Post from nasa. Of what this may look like. Saying that the planet is probably tiedley meaning one size side side is always facing. More on the nasa website including computer animation about these planets and how they orbit around the star. Martin from michigan, line for support. Hello, martin. Caller great subject and thanks for cspan. Strongly in favor of it. The practical aspects first of all, part of planetary is exploration is acquiring electromagnetic spectrums that all frequencies from radio and all the way to ultraviolet xray and gamma ray, those spectrums for we since things example, Remote Sensing around earth, medical imaging. All of the investments into Space Exploration with this type of program can feed them directly in practical technologies we would use for saving lives or measuring the health of our own planet. And then more philosophical argument is what type of legacy do we want to leave history for our civilization . Thank you very much. Tennessee,idge, someone who is not sure. Thank you for calling, you are next to. Caller this is all very exciting, my late husband who was a prominent scientists and it important work in chemistry and physics, he used to say, it is a political decision and there is only so much money for research and every time you have in a norm is project an waymous project, it takes a from a lot of other sources. Sometimes he said that a small idea comes out of the clear blue without any intentions, that is a little project that may piggyback on other projects or do a Little Research and come up with fundamentalist discoveries. These programs also need to be funded. His point was that it is very sad that we could not continue with this big bring down in taxes that politicians cut off because of lack of funding. At the same time, remember we need medical research, all kinds of research in physics and chemistry. And Computer Science that benefits mankind and you have to have priorities all the time. I have a balanced view and i know this will probably be extremely expensive and take money away, we only have so much to spend, right . Asks a poll on twitter what percentage of the total federal budget goes to Space Exploration . I have heard less than 1 . Joining us now to talk about this topic about exploration and the cost involved is scott pace with George WashingtonUniversity Space policy institute and serves as the director. Good morning. Guest could you give good morning. Host the total federal budget . How much is put out for nasa and the topics the topic of Space Exploration . Guest you are being optimistic, less than one half of 1 , about 0. 45 is the federal budget toward nasa and space expiration. Host could you give us a sense of what the Trump Administration what have they said or intimated about this idea of Space Exploration and what they would like to do first as far as the budget for nasa overall . Guest it is hard to say what the budget overall will be because there is a lot of andsure because of the debt mandatory spending like Social Security and medicare and medicaid. And the larger budget deal, that will be a big challenge which will get caught up in that. At the same time, the president and Vice President said various things on the record about exploration. During the campaign, one of the things mr. Trump said is that nasa should focus on stretching the envelope with space expiration, we have a lot to discover and have only scratched the surface. In his inaugural address, he talked about exploring the mysteries of space and doing more. That was unique to perhaps him to call out in an inaugural address. The Vice President has talked about creating a National Space policy council, headed by himself the Vice President to lead efforts and give a white house attention. There has been some great phrases but the budget and congress will be tough challenges. Host when it comes to actual programs, what is currently on board in nasa when it comes to pure Space Exploration . What is being planned . Guest right now there is the ongoing space vision, the giant International Partnership operating in earth orbit and plans for visiting and astroid, bringing it near the moon and sending a crew to examine it. That is than controversial and congress has not been supportive of that as they do not see what it leads to. There have been longerrange discussions about humans eventually going to mars but several decades from now. That has not resulted in very detailed planning. Right now, we have a space