For context, the entire 30-year cost of the US Space Shuttle program, every mission, was the equivalent of the 2008 AIG bailout. You could fund a crewed mission to Mars for half the cost of just the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project. My point is that we in fact absolutely _can_ afford to explore space - but we have elected people who prioritize our nation's wealth elsewhere. -----Original Message----- From: Utah-Astronomy [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Hards Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2014 11:01 AM To: Richard Tenney; Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] 45 years ago today: 16 July 1969 Jeez, no kidding, Rich! I can barely afford to buy food & gas, let alone worry about an under-funded space program. On Wed, Jul 16, 2014 at 10:44 AM, Richard Tenney via Utah-Astronomy < utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> wrote:
And unfortunately I'm too worried about getting the mortgage paid off, and seeing my kids end up in good relationships and economic situations to give space travel much thought nowadays. I suspect most folks have similar concerns/priorities. I wish it were otherwise.
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