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http://us.cnn.com/2012/07/02/opinion/nye-planets-exploration/index.html?hpt=hp_bn7

I like nye's idea. I think our country lacks focus at the moment, we need a big project to put our collective resources behind. it would stimulate the economy and provide jobs. so I'm all for it lets go back to space and really do something. just think of all the resources out there, hell maybe it would even lead to some kind of ftl drive(perhaps wishful thinking but I think it's possible).

I would love to see the stars myself, what do you'll think?

edit: I think I fixed the link.

I feel like I'm the only American who is fine with the NASA funding cuts. Here's why:

1. America is in a recession right now and in a lot of debt. Do we really need to send people into space? For what? To get "answers" that we don't even know we will get? Let's just get out of this pickle and resume sending people out of Earth then. (Then again, we probably spend way too much on stuff that's meant to wipe out entire populations right now...)

2. This isn't 1963. We aren't in a race with anyone yet. "BUT BUT NORTH KOREA!" Yeah, they're one of the few we actually have a problem with, but was that last rocket successful? No.

3. NASA has a crap load of space probes and space telescopes already in use, with more being developed and tested as we speak. People think that NASA is totally shut down, when in reality it is still a busy place. A guy who actually works on these projects did a presentation in one of my classes about the stuff they're doing. He didn't even get through all the new projects with the hour he had to speak.

4. Yeah, more space development will provide jobs, but in areas like science and engineering there are jobs available already, because the people who take those jobs have a bachelor's degree at the least. Just like there are plenty of medical jobs available, but there aren't that many people to take those jobs. The real job drop we've seen has been in things like blue collar work; jobs that don't really need a degree. That is the primary reason more young people (like myself) are planning on going to, attending, and graduating college in this decade, because we aren't going to find a job without a degree.

5. NASA is government-funded, right? We're angry about government spending, right? Does it make sense to spend billions on space shuttle successors for the sake of...showing off? Do we really get those billions back through bragging rights?

Hey, what do I know about government, economics, and aerospace engineering, but that's just my point of view.