> "NASA has become a constituency-driven project rather than mission-driven." NASA manned spaceflight has, which is distinguished from unmanned spaceflight, wh

> "NASA has become a constituency-driven project rather than mission-driven." NASA manned spaceflight has, which is distinguished from unmanned spaceflight, which doesn't have the same problem. This is because the propulsive force of the Apollo program was primarily LBJ, who was a master politician. He made the Apollo program a constituency-driven project by wheeling and dealing in congress, to great effect. But those deals outlived the Apollo program and LBJ as well. They twisted NASA manned spaceflight and resulted in the mis-step of the Shuttle program and the diminished capabilities and high costs of the post Apollo era.