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"...new developments...more than just Teflon...communications...electronic miniaturization..."inspirational value"..."

I think it is narrow-thinking to assume that none of these things would have ever come to pass were it not for NASA.

My extreme analogies run like this:
Were it not for a passion for spices, Columbus would have never discovered America.
Or, were it not for World War II, radar would have never been invented.

So from this, we should continue to spend gobs of money to cultivate our passion for spices and to lenghten our wars beyond their mission.

Now don't get me wrong, I think there are some legitimate things for NASA to do, but it seems now that most of what they do are done just for public relations and self-survival of the program. They sound like a bunch of rah-rah-rah cheerleaders.

I just don't see value of the billions and billions of dollars that are being spent. Space may be infinite, but dollars are not. Especially when these bloated programs are being fed from the public trough.

"Were it not for a passion for spices, Columbus would have never discovered America. "

Not quite the same case, because Columbus did not have to invent and refine a variety of technological material before he could make his voyage; he could simply set off in an already-built ship.

And that's my point - that requirement jump-started so many American industries, that they are now world leaders (IBM in computers, DuPont in materials, etc.) How many jobs have they created over the years? That's value.