Why Does the US Have a Civil Space Program?

BDew writes "The Presidents of the National Academy of Science and the National Academy of Engineering have commissioned a study on the Rationale and Goals of the US Civil Space Program. In short, the Academies are asking why the nation has a civil space program (including human, robotic, commercial, and personal spaceflight). The study is intended to provide a strategic framework for the nation's activities in space that can provide consistent guidance in an increasingly interconnected world. The members of the study committee are interested in the views (positive or negative) of the general public, particularly those people with a scientific and/or technological interest."

Comments

Asking scientifically aware people is dangerous

[forthurst]

"The members of the study committee are interested in the views (positive or negative) of the general public, particularly those people with a scientific and/or technological interest."" While you're at it, why not ask such people (those who are neither cretinous nor scientifically dysfunctional nor extremely gullible) what they think about a fable concerning 19 individuals armed with nothing more than religious faith and box cutters who managed to create murder and mayhem on a Herculean scale and thereby triggering continuous war in the West Asia.

Re:BECAUSE

[edward2020]

Yeah, you're right - anyone who wants to solve problems on Earth should be reeducated so that they don't give a damn. Especially if they don't square with your ideology. Great. I'm clapping excitedly for you.

Re:Let's rephrase : scientists say, kill manned sp

[slashdotwannabe]

They need to make it cool again for the younger generations instead of boring as hell geeks in space.

Bah, throw a couple of Playstations in the capsule and just wait and see how many of the "younger generation" suddenly get interested.