Look at the costs of going to the moon, and related technologies.
Dont get me wrong, I have a huge collection of NASA videos about the early years, moon landings and such. And while NASA does a good job of getting us there, when it comes to accounting, eeeek
A space station that's way over budget and very late, and many parts of its construction are on hold/delay until NASA kinda gets a grip on how to spend money.
I think most of us are in awe when the shuttle goes up and does its thing. And we all hope for that lofty goal of going into space, exploration etc etc (Trekkies, etc). But NASA needs to live within its budget (rather generous one at that). Going over budget by BILLIONS is absurd.
Personally, I'm hoping business endeavors will pursuit those ideas and goals, rather than rely on tax dollars completely. I'd love to see the space station completed and operating a full crew, as well as a manned mission to Mars. But the funding isnt there, and when you line up other budget requirements (defense, etc) there are other priorities closer to home.
If anything, while I admire NASA, I'm aggravated they can not police themselves financially...and they always bemoan Congress or the Administration for not giving them more money to spend without accountability.
