Reply #7: This is crazy

[caraher]

I'd agree that I'd rather "waste" money with NASA than DoD, but it's absurd to contend NASA never wasted money. They did. And the Shuttle is an excellent example - and it's not NASA-bashing to say so. Plenty of blame for its ultimate failure resides outside NASA. It was shaped less by the needs of space science than the combination of NASA's PR need to fly astronauts, compromises required to get the funding through Congress and specifications laid down by DoD for their missions. Its failure in no way implies that NASA scientists, engineers and technicians were anything but the most competent and dedicated professionals one could ask for; they were just saddled with the wrong set of requirements.

The shuttle was a mistake, and imagining that NASA never wastes money is as silly as drooling at every shiny piece of electronics Steve Jobs announces onstage simply because it has an Apple logo.