[from occupied ga]

So you're equating space exploration to defense? Absolutely.

Well here we differ. $820,000,000 for pictures of rocks and dust fall into the category of wild ass spending to me.

[Shryke]

Well here we differ. $820,000,000 for pictures of rocks and dust fall into the category of wild ass spending to me.

You can't see the forest, just the tree. Everything requires steps, Occupied. If we are going to lead the way, it requires mistakes as well.

As far as my equating moon-control to antartic control, that's really not accurate. The amount of resources on the moon compared to that of antartica is really staggering.

[Dead Dog]

Maybe, but you know better than to claim $820,000,000 only went to pictures of dirt and rocks.

It is fundamental research, it is expensive, and we can never tell where it will lead us. "Pictures of Dirt and Rocks" is a strawman arguement. The shuttle to no where was W.A.S. The ISS is W.A.S. Those two points we can probably agree on. $820M spent to determine the possibility of life outside our planet, to gather data necessry for eventual colonization, and to indirectly keeps the "steely eyed missle men" in the biz is well worth the cost.

It all comes down to defense in the very long run.