If it takes 100 thousand years to reach any lifeform beyond our galaxy why do we keep trying to contact aliens?

I was seeing on national geographic who long it would take to reach another "possible" life form across the universe and thought to myself, why keep trying? It would take 100 thousand years to contact anyone and 100 thousand years for them to get back to us using sound only. Why keep trying that plan? Why not spend all of that money and all the resources to use here on Earth to help with the research of cancer and such? Or for the study of our own atmosphere? And now Obama said yesterday how he approves the mission NASA is taking on in getting someone on Mars by the year 2035! I just think that some things should be left alone, getting satellites up there is one thing but spending billions and billions of dollars when we are already trillions in debt is so rediculous to me. Money that should be spent on kids, teachers, the elderly, the sick, and responsible single mothers.If it takes 100 thousand years to reach any lifeform beyond our galaxy why do we keep trying to contact aliens?
Thus far, the spending on our space programs has yielded immense knowledge and countless consumer and commercial discoveries and byproducts. Man's quest for knowledge and discovery seems to be ingrained in our very existence.

That being said, I completely see your point of view, and it's a very valid one.
maybe they can get here faster than that, we don't know what kind of tech they might haveIf it takes 100 thousand years to reach any lifeform beyond our galaxy why do we keep trying to contact aliens?
Actually sending a radio wave (which is what they done) into space costs next to nothing. We currently have two probes (voyager 1 and voyager 2) which are currently about 10 billion miles from Earth (15 light-hours). They have sent back a lot of information and have certainly answered many questions.



You're right it's money better spent elsewhere. But many are curious if life exists on another planet. As Mars is our neighbour planet, it makes it easier to reach.If it takes 100 thousand years to reach any lifeform beyond our galaxy why do we keep trying to contact aliens?
Why are you complaining about NASA's budget? NASA's budget is approximately $19 billion per year. That is one of the lowest of any government agency. The Department of Defense, on the other hand, gets more than $660 billion. I think you should lobby against the wars we are in, not the exploration.
To encourage them to openly contact us.



They're here and mingle among us and only a few elite in government are aware of ET aliens.



Too much of a shock if they were to come out of the closet now. Although the Catholic Church has recently made spiritual acceptance of their 'possible' existance it would still cause wide spread panic if they suddendly appeared on the National Mall like they did in "The Day The Earth Stood Still".



So we gotta play this charade thing until the 'right' time and bingo ET aliens contact us.
Even though their place may be far away, they may already have done the travelling. Perhaps they are already nearby. So, they would have expended the cost.



The danger is that their technology might be far beyond ours, and we wind up as slaves. or dead.
Think back to the cave man looking at the Moon.



Now think back 50 years---

We will never walk on the Moon!



Now jump ahead 1,000,000 years
When you don't know something, you should tack numbers onto it like you do.



"100 thousand years" to get to the closest alien? Could be, but its really a wild guess. We might contact something in 10 years... or never. (never seems more likely to me, but hey).