What kind of return are we getting???? Space Travel?

We spend billions on space travel...what did we get from it. If a company spends billions on a product that doesn't sell...the company closes.

knowledge

The government does not work on rate of return. The government is supposed to handle services that aren't profitable.

All of the science done by NASA becomes public domain, patent and royalty free. So what's the return on your student loan or Pell grant?

For every dollar spent on space exploration we typically spend $20 or $30 on entitlement hand-outs. Simply giving money to people produces no revenue, so we should shut down all the human services programs. Right?

Money spent on space is not money spent IN space; it's spent right here at home developing actual useful things. Your cell phone, for example, contains technology directly derived from space technology. Your cordless drill uses battery technology originally developed for Apollo. Most of the modern project management techniques used in American business derive from space-program techniques.

Another issue I take with your question is the premise that public spending is like a business and must produce revenue. That is generally not the public spending model. We contribute taxes, and taxes are spent on things that BENEFIT the public. That benefit need not be strict "sales" of a "product." We spend money, for example, on national parks because the parks are a benefit, not because it's an investment that generates a profit.

What kind of return are we getting?

Your computer, cell phone, fax machine, T.V. programs, Radio broadcasts, 90% of wireless communication, advanced medicines, Weather forecasting, there are like a million other returns that you never even think about and often take for granted that come from space travel & space related technology.

The fact that you are on a computer says that there is a "return". A huge amount of our computer technology has come from space programs.

Have you ever heard of satellites? They come from the space program, and make sure that you get to watch Saturday Night Live.

Oh, and how about airplanes? Do you like airplanes? Most materials that airplanes are made from come from the space program.

I suppose that you will only be happy when NASA shows up at your house and gives you a check, and says "sorry about that, here's your money back."

Or perhaps you want them to give you a "space trailer"? I'm sure they would be happy to make it a double-wide.

We're in the middle of a war that costs more every three months or so than the space program uses a year. Is that a better use of your money?

We spend more on pet food every year than space. The budget for the space program is a pittance. And what do we get? How about weather satellites? If you ever had to dodge a hurricane (I have), you'd be pretty darn happy to have spent the money.

You (like many misinformed people) seem to think the space program is a huge drain on taxpayer funds. In fact, it's quite the opposite. For the tiny amount they get, NASA and the related space agencies do amazing things.

When you stop wasting your money on pizza and CDs, come talk to us about what kind of return you're getting.