[Alter Kaker]

we need to do things like this for the sake of pure research.

Pure research is great... but the people pushing for a manned mission to Mars are not interested in pure research. You get far more research for far less money from unmanned probes. NASA, for example, has two probes which have spent the last four years exploring the planet, has a high resolution satellite taking pictures of every inch of the surface, and has another probe, the Phoenix Lander, en route. There is no research that humans can do that probes can't do better and for less money, and lots of research that humans can't do that probes can do.

we easily obtained 10 times the cost of the moon project in side-benefits and offshoots.

The enormous value of orange-flavored Tang aside, I don't agree with your assessment. If there was any scientific benefit at all from Apollo, it was likely negligible.

[RightWhale]

They are not doing science in space. At first it seemed like they were, but they have sent probes to most of the planets and moons already and where are the results of science aside from some pictures to look at and forget? They are doing engineering, but why if we are not going out there ourselves?

[Mr. K]

"The enormous value of orange-flavored Tang aside, I don't agree with your assessment. If there was any scientific benefit at all from Apollo, it was likely negligible"

think again... there are thousands of offshoots. I am sorry but you are demonstrating a serious lack of understanding of scientific progress.

Do you know some people wanted to close the U.S. Patent office in the erlay 1900's because we hade the steam engine and everything that could be invented already was?

The benefits gained from the moon mission are well known and are not 'my assessment' or 'likely negligable'. Never substitute your opinion for knowlege. Study more.

[Mr. K]

"The enormous value of orange-flavored Tang aside, I don't agree with your assessment. If there was any scientific benefit at all from Apollo, it was likely negligible"

think again... there are thousands of offshoots. I am sorry but you are demonstrating a serious lack of understanding of scientific progress.

Do you know some people wanted to close the U.S. Patent office in the early 1900's because we had the steam engine and everything that could be invented already was?

The benefits gained from the moon mission are well known and are not just 'my assessment' or 'likely negligable'.

Never substitute your opinion for knowlege. Just because you don't think something is true, does not mean it is not true. Study more.

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

If there was any scientific benefit at all from Apollo, it was likely negligible

One of the benefits of the Apollo program was the drive for miniaturized electronics, which led to PCs and the internet.