[gnarledmaw]

"Which leads to an important point: The critical prerequisite for discovery is curiosity."

...but the moral to the story is that government intervention always eventually results in decay.

[ReignOfError]

...but the moral to the story is that government intervention always eventually results in decay.

Bit overbroad, don't you think? A partial list of government-sponsored expeditions:
Columbus
Magellan
Drake
Cook
Lewis & Clark
Apollo
Voyager
Viking