I was talking with my daughter about this yesterday and it really occurred to me that it's probably important to look at NASA through a realist lens. Here's th

I was talking with my daughter about this yesterday and it really occurred to me that it's probably important to look at NASA through a realist lens. Here's their Vision and Mission statement: [0] Vision: We reach for new heights and reveal the unknown for the benefit of humankind Mission: Drive advances in science, technology, aeronautics, and space exploration to enhance knowledge, education, innovation, economic vitality and stewardship of Earth Given the history of using the space program as a tool of political/nationalist/defense goals it's probably more realistic to simply act as if the stated purpose of the agency is really a kind of "marketing" that is significantly independent of the "lived experience" so to speak. At minimum I would expect that a mental model of NASA that ignored the vision and mission statements would result in much better predictions about what NASA was likely to do. I should add that I consider all of this deeply unfortunate and I'm not defending it in the least. [0] https://www.nasa.gov/careers/our-mission-and-values https://www.nasa.gov/careers/our-mission-and-values