Hey,I didn't mean to denigrate you, or anything like that. If it sounded that way, I am very sorry. The examples that you quote citing colossal wastage of exp

Hey,I didn't mean to denigrate you, or anything like that. If it sounded that way, I am very sorry. The examples that you quote citing colossal wastage of expenditure, ring quite true.Exactly my point. But really, wasted expenditure is wasted expenditure,plain and simple- There cant be any justification, more so, citing another wasted expenditure. Analogy- how rational would it sound, if a convicted murder says in trial "But I killed just one guy.Go,look at some war-ravaged place in Africa what people get away with". Actually,I believe basic science encompasses a lot more than astrobiology-Even the issues I pointed out, would stand to gain a lot,from advances in basic sciences, and perhaps need more investment. Perhaps you feel that discovery of ET life would changed your life for the good- I would completely agree with you, if it could make us humans healthier,welathier, or otherwise more intelligent. Till then, I would wait and watch :-) and... read the next interesting thread on HN!