[BenLurkin]

[The_Victor]

The space program is funded by tax dollars—the redistribution of wealth from one person to another.

That statement is ridiculous. Space program money is just like defense money (except for the constitutional justification). The money is spent on hardware and the people to operate it. It is not "transfered" i.e. with no discernible benefit to the giver, from one person to another.

[patriciaruth]

There is another reality factor involved with space exploration and defense.

Bright science and math whiz types like to play with space and quantum mechanics, etc. If they have jobs waiting for them, they study and learn advanced math and physics. Then on their 'gee-whiz' space job, they practice and innovate skills while we are "at peace" that we will need when we need military upgrades.

Aside from the fact that we get terrific spin-offs from the space program that help people in medicine and life, the cold hard fact is that we need to keep these brains occupied and happy so they are there to step in and help when we really, really need them.

I cribbed this idea from someone else, but it makes a lot of sense to me.

Besides, one shipment of H3 from the moon a year can power our whole country for a year. We don't want a Chinese or a French flag sitting on top of the motherload on the moon.

[AmishDude]

I wonder if Kennedy got this much flack.

[Brett66]

The way he talks it sounds like we spend half of the budget on space exploration. It's really too miniscule to even bother worrying about. It just demonstrates how space exploration captures people's attention, even though the money spent on it is trivial.

Miserable failure