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The entire reason NASA was down-prioritized and had finding stripped is because of wealthy private interests, who wanted that pie to go to them for profit, rath

The entire reason NASA was down-prioritized and had finding stripped is because of wealthy private interests, who wanted that pie to go to them for profit, rather than to a public agency. And because the US only cares to do anything if there's a competition involved, the fall of the Soviet Union meant that politicians didn't really care anymore, they got lazy and lost their ambitions. Now China (and India) and speeding up and leaving the US in the dust. The money spent on private space exploration could be spent much better on public research and space exploration, with international space agencies working together, instead of funding billionaire joyrides and further lining their pockets with money they can barely figure out how to spend.

least 5y ago
The fact that NASA was defunded on the whim of the president is a strong indication that no, that money couldn't be spent much better on public research and space exploration because that money never got there. Obama's policies set NASA back a lot. We absolutely need private companies vying for better space capability. We would have to send someone, whether it be billionaires or someone else up into space to facilitate that. That money would be spent regardless, so why does it matter that Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are doing it rather than any random person? The goal is to get to the point where it's no longer remarkable to travel through space.
- KozmoNau7 5y ago
  The influence of private corporations are the reason why NASA was stripped of funding, because of lobbyism and having politicians in their pockets. It's the same old game, lobby for politicians to reduce funding to public agencies and institutions, demand ever-higher profits and put hack-and-slash stooges in charge. Then after a few years of letting them struggle, publicly declare the public sector horribly inefficient and call for widespread privatization, with the contracts coincidentally going to your biggest sponsors. The USPS is just the latest in a long lineup of examples of this method. It's corruption, pure and simple.

least 5y ago

The fact that NASA was defunded on the whim of the president is a strong indication that no, that money couldn't be spent much better on public research and space exploration because that money never got there. Obama's policies set NASA back a lot. We absolutely need private companies vying for better space capability. We would have to send someone, whether it be billionaires or someone else up into space to facilitate that. That money would be spent regardless, so why does it matter that Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson are doing it rather than any random person? The goal is to get to the point where it's no longer remarkable to travel through space.

KozmoNau7 5y ago
The influence of private corporations are the reason why NASA was stripped of funding, because of lobbyism and having politicians in their pockets. It's the same old game, lobby for politicians to reduce funding to public agencies and institutions, demand ever-higher profits and put hack-and-slash stooges in charge. Then after a few years of letting them struggle, publicly declare the public sector horribly inefficient and call for widespread privatization, with the contracts coincidentally going to your biggest sponsors. The USPS is just the latest in a long lineup of examples of this method. It's corruption, pure and simple.