I tend to agree with the whole space exploration thing, although I know there are other places this money could go. (IE: deep ocean exploration...) The thing is, that as a species we will outgrow this planet. (Unless we kill each other off first of course) Now I'm not saying we should start doing serious terraforming research or anything like that, but in all seriousness, earth is an infintessimal speck on the face of the universe. I think it's important to see what is out there, and to know we can get there. Who knows if some discovery of extreme value lies under 6 inches of martian soil? Science is driven forward by dreamers, not by necessity. Robotics will have a significant place in the not too distant future whether we like it or not. Building robots to navigate an alien landscape and succeed in specific missions is an excellent way of evolving our robotics capabilities. Aerospace technology needs new technological challenges in order to push forward. For the sake of military security in a changing world we need to continue to evolve our space capabilities and stay ahead of potentially hostile countries. If one nuclear bomb were detonated at orbital elevations, the EMP would shut down thousands of satellites. It's not a waste of money at all...granted, there are other places the money could go, but there's also more money that can go there. Look at the war chest, and compare it to NASA's budget. I'm going to spot ranting now....but seriously, this is good stuff that will ultimately benefit mankind, there is just no way to predict how or where.

[black]-"The further we go and older we grow, the more we know, the less we show."[/black]