The space program was a make work project for highly intelligent people. Unfortunately, it’s like spending billions of dollars to go to Death Valley.
I’d far rather give American scientists and engineers a lot of money to do something that will inspire all mankind than to give (and keep on giving) a lot more money to “the disadvantaged” to do nothing.
You are wrong. You either know no history or you are very very young. NACA provided some of the ‘latest’ designs for our jets and fighters during the end of the second worl war. They offered innovation and technology throughout the Korean war ( oh yeah conflict). NACA which later became NASA had always had a strong component of military effort in the work. The ‘failures’ that you see footage of are rockets being tested for ICBM use. Yes JFK did want something for the US to ‘strive’ for -— it was feel good. The result was beyond your understanding. Do you use a microwave oven? Have you had any advanced medical imaging? Ever had a CAT scan, an MRI, anEKG? an EEG? The medical and technological advances that have become real products because we went to the moon are vast.
And ALL of that happened at the cost of less than 1 cent per every tax dollar paid.