I did an internship at NASA and found them to be very motivated by curiosity and a desire to educate the public. Granted this was long after the Cold War ended

I did an internship at NASA and found them to be very motivated by curiosity and a desire to educate the public. Granted this was long after the Cold War ended and it may represent a difference between the motivations of the people who work for NASA and the motivations of the politicians who fund NASA.