[RadioAstronomer]

You don't get it. IMHO, the vitality and future of our nation absolutely without question rides on both big and little science. Much that is Gov funded BTW. You don't think that the Gov had a role in aircraft developement?

[billbears]

No, unfortunately you don't get it. The virality and future of new technologies rides on the will of the inventor and his or her capabilities. Not how much money the government throws at them. Which is going to provide a better, faster, and safer solution to any problem? A company that realizes its very existence may rely on the success of said advancement or a company that lives on the government dole and realizes it does not have an urgent need to produce anything? Guess that's why so many government sponsored programs come so far under budget isn't it? Private industry can develop new technologies faster and more efficiently than government can.

You seriously do not believe every major invention since 1789 was government funded do you? This is what the conservative movement has devolved to. Those that not only support government in our lives but call for more of it in aspects that suppress true inventive capabilities

[cyborg]

thaks for the ping xbob... letting Hubble go would be an unimaginable waste and a tragic loss to the scientific world.