am I the only one who thinks that the millions ( possibly billions) of $ spent on the space program is a waste.  What the heck are they looking for and how is anything they find up there going to help anyone.
212714
The US spends only a tiny fraction of the budget on the space program, and the benefits from it are fantastic.  \n\nThe computers we use right now would not be possible without the transistor, and transistors were invented as a result of the space program.  \n\nDo you ever watch satellite TV?  How do you think those satellites got there?\n\nDo you ever watch weather reports?  Weather satellites improve forecasting ability immensely.\n\nEver hear of OnStar, the button in your car you push when you need help?  It uses satellites to find and communicate with you.\n\nGPS, the global positioning system.  \n\nEver use Google maps satellite photo option?\n\nThe Hubble Space Telescope has given us enormous insight into the nature of the universe, and continues to do so.  \n\nWe haven't "found" anything useful in space, we found useful things in the pursuit!  And we made useful things.  It's what we as humans do best, innovate, create, and explore.  And we've only begun to explore the possibilities.  Zero-gravity manufacturing opens up all kinds of potential for making better things, like perfectly spherical ball-bearings that would have a million applications on the ground.\n\nKeep in mind that we spend ONE BILLION DOLLARS EVERY DAY on our military.  And that's just during peacetime.  We only spend a fraction of that on space travel, but the return on the investment is huge.  \n\nBut no, you're not the only one who thinks it's a waste.  Unfortunately, there are lots of people who agree, and are doing their best to hold us back from acheiving even more.
16265
In many cases it is important to find an answer to a problem but we are overdoing it. We have gone hog wild on this.\n\nGovm't spending is way out of hand. Our total taxation is over 51% and climbing. \n\nWe need NASA to keep pace with science and world progress. \n\nOur govm't was designed to protect the people not subsidize them which means our welfare programs have gone too far. \n\nThe fruit fly study was for the benefit of the orchardists.
580822
So far our asteroid deflection technology is only hypothetical. We would probably want to study our options in more detail first, as well as learn more about the structure of asteroids. Actual missions to asteroids take lots of time and money, which no one is prepared to spend just yet.\n\nWhich brings up a key point - asteroid defense is pathetically underfunded, in both threat detection and deflection technologies. If more people asked questions like yours, maybe the powers that be would do something about it.
367626
According to wikipedia:\n\n"The cost of the entire program is estimated at $135 billion (2006 dollars) ($25.4 billion in 1969 dollars). The Apollo spacecraft cost $28 billion (2006 dollars) to develop: $17 billion for the command and service modules, and $11 billion for the Lunar Module. The Saturn I, IB and V launch vehicle development cost about $46 billion."\n\nAnd, I might add, worth every penny ... in the technology we got out of it alone, much less the sheer human joy of doing it.
313894
Technological advances.\n\nMany of the miniaturized components that we take for granted when we listen to our IPods or film someone with our less than one pound video camera are a direct result of the space program as they need to make components as small and light as possible in order to get the items into orbit.\n\nSome of the compression algorithms that we all use to send large files through the Internet are a result of NASA having to create them to receive data from the damaged Galileo mission to Jupiter.\n\nAre you aware of global warming and the hole in the ozone layer? NASA...\n\nDo you like the fact that weather reports show satellite images of storms headed for you that are currently hundreds of miles away in the middle of the ocean?  NASA...\n\nAre you impressed by cochlear implants that allow deaf people to hear for the first time?  NASA...\n\nEver thrown a Nerf Glider?  NASA...\n\nAs you can see, NASA has done a TON of positive things for Americans.  This just scratches the surface.
586612
space research is just a research to locate more speific life beyond our planet. However the people do not care about whats happening in our planet. Diseases are spreading killing almost a million or more each year, and economic losses due to spending money on useless things rather then useful things like charity or helping the homeless kids in all parts of the world. Africa and India is mainly homeless children, where at least a child dies every sec due to diseases or other serious conditions. Money is the only thing that could buy these children homes and food n other basic needs of life then people should be helping not spending money on space research where they are not helping anybody with anything. First they consider saving their own planet then beyond the planet. thats all =)
411661
No enough, and by a far margin.  If only 1/10 of what is being spend on armament would be devoted to space, NASA would be swimming in money.\nIn 2005, NASA budget was $16.2 billion (see link #1) and compare that to the spending of US army in Iraq: $3.9 billion per month in 2003 ($1 billion per month in Afghanistan -- see second link) and that was in 2003!  US military spending is over $400 billion per year, and that is to *not catch*  Bin Laden.
520816
Someone needs to sit down and have a serious talk with the human race. Especially the bleached ones(If you consider that our DNA came from the tribes of Africa, then the rest are all just bad mimeographs of the original results of evolution and environmental cooperation).\nThe questions to be answered start with\n--"What do you intend to contribute to the universe?"\n\nThe rest are just management questions, but nonetheless just as important in their departments.\n--"How much is it going to cost (the planet, the solar system, etc.)?"\n--"What resources are necessary to pay for it?"\n--"Can we do it at the scale/volume that we currently consume things?"\n--"If not, who is going to decide what the support level will be?"\n--"What are you doing to create a sustainable system for this goal?"\n--"Who are the stakeholders?"\n--"What is the estimated rate of return on the environment's investment(Are we going to save X number of species from extinction by asteroids?)?"\n\nSo far, all these answers are in negative connotations.\n\nTo put our species into the 'black', we need leadership like we have never seen before.\nI suspect that we won't ever see it now.
5197
Why in the world would he want to do that? This is such a Stupid Question. Would you WASTE 4 billion if you had it hanging around? Think!
20287
Estimates of about 35 million pieces of debris are common.  Of these about 100,000 are in the square centimeter or larger size category, and NASA routinely tracks about 8,000.  People are good at throwing stuff away.  Shame we did not throw ot far enough away.\nI have personally viewed at least four or five of the biggest pieces.
496608
Of course not. NASA spent billions of dollars on styrofoam rockets and plastic movie sets. And Congress let them.
551347
Oh my goodness, i really think you should get back to nasa and fly back to space, you complete moron, get a life idiot......xx
244153
Good question!\n\nA there are two groups of people with different points of views. I will try to overview both of them.\n\nFirst, there are the people that are promoting space travel as a tourist approach.  They are basically in it for the money.  A new gimic to get money from people is always around the corner.  There idea is not too weird however, because people looked at each new mode of transportation as a weird idea.  As people used the new mode of transportation from boats, to horse and buggy, to trains, to automobile, and to airplanes; each of these was improved to accomadate and make that particular mode better and safer.  So, although, there are people in it for the money it would have the benefit of making space travel safer and better as it develops.\n\nSecond there are those in the scientific point of view.  They feel it somehow cheapens and degrades their efforts for true space exporation.  They want money from the government and donators to help fund their projects into outer space to discover new things in space and on other planets.\n\nActually, we need both types of ideas and the people that feel that way.  To keep most people interested in space efforts all the attention possible must be give to the effort.  So any thing that brings attention to the efforts of space is usually a good thing!\n\nRemember that creativity comes in many forms and it is the end results that counts.  We need more people to grown up wanting to explore space and going into college after those courses that will help them to become scientists, idealist, pilots, ground personell, and so forth.\n\nSpace tourism may never become an everyday event, but it will sure help get some attention to the space programs of today.
592738
Because NASA is sourely underfunded.  It is allready to late for this planet.  I fear that mankind will not harness intersteller travel in time, none the less find a planet compatible with human life.  Also, NASA is a nonprofit organization.  For profit organizations tend to be quicker and more efficient, but as history has shown tend to also be less reliable and reckless.
552699
It's a lot cheaper to explore our planet, and the goal of most exploration was to find something of value, usually funded by royalty.\n\nRoyalty isn't what it used to be, and any government whose people believe that taxes are bad will never be able to sustain the costs of exploration of space. It's an expensive proposition.\n\nOur equivalent of royalty, celebrities, tend to spend their money on themselves or on things they can see the immediate results of. No long-term no-return (emotional, financial or career) causes for them.
157981
NASA's 2006 budget is in excess of $16 billion. The agency says it understands its fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayer. But by any standard, the space program is wasting many, many millions of dollars. \n\nAnd now, it has its eye on returning to the Moon and a manned mission to Mars. Schatz says that shouldn't be the focus. "Let's just get NASA in shape to do what it's doing now as opposed to expanding its mission into something that's far larger than anything they've done before
100802
From the very beginning of the {Bush Ad min} I have been watching the Environmental Protection Agencies & what they have to say about the Bush Administrations waste. The E.P.A. never says anything when asked how & when, & what is the Bush Admin going to do w/all of the {Fossil Fuels} that he wants to waste in no time flat. It would auctually Cost the American Tax Payer a whole lot more money to build & Pay off the Alaskan Citizens w/incentives from those {Revenues form all that Oil}At the same time the Carribue Herd in Alaska would be re-routed from their original (Ancient Paths that have been around before Mankind can fix a date on.Changeing the Carribue & the Natural habis of getiing around is to cruel of an act that will only be around for a short while. The Republican Party has been a cold & calculative bunch that see;s no end th their lack of vision for our very planet, & it's atmosphere.