A few days ago Barack Obama made history,once again, by altering certain objectives of the Nasa missions. He said basically that the money the government put into the projects should be used more profitably, to help Mankind on Earth.Read the article for yourself and see:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/science/space/29nasa.html
This way of thinking has not always existed. The space race was once a very competitive business, one in which the USA and the USSR fought hard in order to assure their supremacy. The Russians put the first man into space, Yuri Gargarin was the first man to orbit the earth, yet the Americans were the first to land on the moon.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/science/space/29nasa.html
This way of thinking has not always existed. The space race was once a very competitive business, one in which the USA and the USSR fought hard in order to assure their supremacy. The Russians put the first man into space, Yuri Gargarin was the first man to orbit the earth, yet the Americans were the first to land on the moon.
1969 "A small step for Man, a giant step for Mankind. ''
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMINSD7MmT4
Walter Cronkite reporting on the Lunar landing for CBS News
Space exploration has always been a 'political' as well as scientific business , things have gone right, things have gone wrong. The question one should ask oneself perhaps is ' How 
much ought one to spend on such a business? '
much ought one to spend on such a business? 'I will let you decide!
