Yet it is through NASA that all of America’s greatest firsts in Space were all accomplished.
It was NASA project management with teams from Lockheed, Northrop and Boeing that returned humans to lunar orbit and just now made a new record for taking humans furthest into space.
It was NASA project management that repeatedly landed rovers on Mars that lasted many more years and studied far more than we ever expected.
It was NASA project management that launched Voyager which continues to make observations far into INTERSTELLAR space beyond the solar system. Far longer than NASA even expected.
Due to the transit time I doubt landing humans on Mars will be profitable long before it is necessary for national security. I knew Musk should have focused on space tourism to the moon first since it is a much shorter journey and they actually pivoted this year to focus on moon first. I wonder if NASA success this year had anything to do with it.
Yes Musk talked big to end green subsidies when his companies got big enough to not need it. Musk also talked big about NASA and even threatened to leave astronauts in space if they don’t play ball once he no longer needed them for cash.
It’s like people who were once on foodstamps then complain about others using it when they get rich...
Unlike you, I appreciate both the virtues and failings of NASA.
Humanity may well reach into space. NASA will only be a footnote.
BTW tourism is a dead-end.