Good point. For most people, I think the social agenda comes out on top. Ideally, it might make a difference if more people would take the time to write their representatives and let them know what they'd like to see happen with the space program but unfortunately, most people won't do that. They either don't care enough to make the effort or they think their voice isn't going to make a difference. I do know a few people who don't care about space exploration and think it's a huge waste of money. They feel the government should put those resources toward helping the homeless and poor, both in our country and throughout the world. Once everyone is taken care of, then you can start looking toward the stars. In my opinion, that is a very idealistic view, and in a perfect world where you can control all the factors, maybe that would be possible. But working in the world the way it is, it's not ever going to happen. A lot of reasons I think that, but it's pretty off topic and I won't go into them. The point is though, that everyone looks at the world differently and has differing priorities. Space exploration is important to people like us, but to some people it's just a big waste of time and money. Kim has a good point though, if NASA has been wasteful of money and resources in the past then it would be smart for them to figure out how to use their resources in the wisest possible manner. As Scrooge McDuck says "Work smarter, not harder." Chuck Hards <chuckhards@yahoo.com> wrote: NASA's direction is determined by the people's wishes, via the politicians they elect to office. It all begins at the ballot box. Some people may find it difficult to find a candidate who is aligned on both space exploration policy and social agenda. Choices, choices. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com --------------------------------- Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page