[winner45]

NASA does and/or helps fund plenty of basic research in many different fields. Some are more pragmatic than others. The point here is to develop the mesuring devices needed for super conductivity/unified field theory work. There is a long way to go here, but if it proves useful in the end, we all profit. Major economic expansions are fueled by cultural wide industrial paradigmn shifts. To find technologies that will broadly affect our culture, much research, some in seemingly silly areas, needs be done. The NASA technology transfer to industry program provides for quick trun around application of new technologies for American business thus creating a test bed for potential new paradigmn technologies.

[RightWhale]

if it proves useful in the end, we all profit

Then triple NASA's budget; build the moon base, go to Mars and build the Mars orbiting base. With that kind of career beacon you will get more young people going for technical degrees; you will get more science taught in school. Economic effects won't be trickledown, they will be a deluge. It will make the medieval terrorists all the more envious, maybe envious enough to give up their quixotic missions and join civilization.