Yes, and I agree that it felt like a feel-good mission at the time. Many people theorize, and I believe correctly, that it was entirely an aggressive posturing

Yes, and I agree that it felt like a feel-good mission at the time. Many people theorize, and I believe correctly, that it was entirely an aggressive posturing war between the US and USSR. We could just drop a nuke from space, with no launch to detect, so no way to retaliate in time - no mutually assured destruction, which was the only real defense either party had. Don't get me wrong - I'm generally very liberal by US standards, and I think the Government should do a LOT more to "promote the general welfare". I just think that money doesn't care how you spend it, and governments can't set the kinds of goals that the OP proposes. Other than ending diseases, I suppose.