Let me ask this, how long has it been since we set foot on the moon? We have soil samples, photos from Mars, then what? I'm all for technologies and science myself, my wife is a research scientist and I'm an IT geek.
"Poverty is a fact of life"....obviously you and I aren't a part of that population since we both sit behind our computer posting in this forum. In Jr high / high school days I was one of the very few in school to use a lunch ticket - issued only to low income students. Eliminating poverty is not possible that I agree. But pouring tens of billions of dollars into projects that warrants virtually nothing, does that make a whole lot of sense?
What is a higher priority? Rebuilding homes for the hurricane victims? Providing more education funds for our children? Reforming social security? Better healthcare, medicare for all? Do you realize each of us is in debt $27,000 and counting? As a nation, we are $8 trillion in debt!
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
One recent article indicates that our current corp of college grads lack skills.
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/01...e.students.ap/
If we can't better educate our next generation of astronauts, rocket scientists, how do you suppose we can advance into the future?
I support NASA but in times of need, I would rather put my tax dollars somewhere other than the outter space. Maybe I just don't have the vision like some of you.....??