[Moonman62]

For the most part, NASA’s shortcomings are due to political meddling. But people should know during this transition in manned spaceflight that NASA has an incredibly successful unmanned program, which gets little attention.

[TYVets]

For the most part, NASA’s shortcomings are due to political meddling.

But people should know during this transition in manned spaceflight that NASA has an incredibly successful unmanned program, which gets little attention.

Manned space flights get the publicity, unmanned flights gather the knowledge.

When Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon an estimated 1 billion people watched it live. The exploration of the surface of Mars by the Rovers is probably the closest unmanned project that the taxpayers heard about.

Since the late 1950's the horrendously expensive manned flights sell the budget that produces the funds for the unmanned flights. Manned flights provide NASA with the PR.