The 100-meter Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in Green Bank, West Virginia made a discovery which may have some benefit to U.S. taxpayers in only 40,000,000 years.
In other words, the Grand Kleagle finally came up with some useful pork.
I think I'm about to faint.
Actually, the NSA came up with it originally, and it got handed off to other agencies, until it was going to be closed down and dismantled.
Byrd just saw it as yet another opportunity to have his name on yet another thing.
So, he does get credit for saving it.
I'm pretty sure the Drake Equation was developed at Green Bank.