NASA moon plan was an illusion, wrapped in denial

Actually my sentiment was NASA is inept in manned spaceflight.

Due to the meddling of politicians.

They do marvelous things in the unmanned arena.

Due to the lack of meddling by politicians.

"Source?"

The final cost of the Apollo program was around $26 billion in 1972. I adjusted for inflation in my head. If you can find a better estimation of 1972 money in 2009 dollars, let's hear it. But, I calculated conservatively, and if anything, I over estimated the cost in today's dollars. It might be closer to $130 billion. You can find the cost of the Apollo program on a number of sites. Google is your friend.

"Using a fifty year old concept with already developed technology?"

I don't believe I said that, Mr Strawman. Perhaps you should read more carefully.

"For all practical purposes the Apollo program was already underway before JFK hitched his wagon to it. "

If you can find another President who said, "Hey, let's go to the moon", please let me know. The way my memory serves, it was Kennedy who said it, no one else - for all practical and factual purposes.

"No it isn't. For instance, while the space program helped the early integrated circuit market by buying a lot of them, the technology was developed independent of the space program."

Source? See, it works both ways.

Everything from solar panels, to advanced batter technology that make cordless power tools available today, to space-age building materials (developed from the materials created for the space suit) to kidney dialysis (again, space suit) were developed as a direct result from R&D investment in the Apollo mission. The list goes on and on.

The benefit doesn't come from placing a man in orbit, or on the moon or on mars. The ancillary and direct benefits come the technology that's developed to accomplish the mission, not necessarily from the mission's science experiments. Sure, actually traveling to the moon or to mars for the scientific study alone will have other more mission-specific benefits, but the technology that is developed to actually get the astronauts there and back is where the real payoff comes from - just like it came from the Apollo missions.

I recommend www.nasa.gov if you want to read further. You can search for "Apollo benefits" and I'm sure it will be a treasure trove of information.

One of the best things I think we could do is separate NASA into a Space Probe agency and leave the manned exploration to the US Air Force.

"I think the main reason some people where opposed to it: George W Bush.."

Indeed. I am sure that was 100% of 0's reason.