Comments on: Why Hubble is worth every penny

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most expensive information-gathering tools NASA has ever created. But Don Reisinger thinks it's worth every penny.

[PalmliX]

I'm really impressed with all the well thought out arguments here... I don't think I have anything of value to add, I just find it interesting that people are arguing about 9.2 billion spent over 15 years, when the government poised to YET AGAIN sink tens of billions of dollars into GM. What is this, the 3rd, 4th time? I've honestly lost count.

I think galileo126 raised a very good point, the Hubble telescope should most likely be sent into retirement sooner rather than later so the next generation of telescopes can be allowed to replace it, but it boggles my mind how people could think that 9 billion spent over 15 YEARS on hard science can not be worth it, when the government has spent over half a trillion (and counting) in 6 years killing a bunch of people in Iraq.

It blows my mind it really does...

[PalmliX]

I'm really impressed with all the well thought out arguments here... I don't think I have anything of value to add, I just find it interesting that people are arguing about 9.2 billion spent over 15 years, when the government poised to YET AGAIN sink tens of billions of dollars into GM. What is this, the 3rd, 4th time? I've honestly lost count.

I think galileo126 raised a very good point, the Hubble telescope should most likely be sent into retirement sooner rather than later so the next generation of telescopes can be allowed to replace it, but it boggles my mind how people could think that 9 billion spent over 15 YEARS on hard science can not be worth it, when the government has spent over half a trillion (and counting) in 6 years killing a bunch of people in Iraq.

It blows my mind it really does...

[PalmliX]

Gah the dreaded double post!

[Hokulea]

From Wikipedia:

NASA Budget - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_budget

"As seen in the year-by-year breakdown listed below, the total amounts (in nominal dollars) that NASA has been budgeted from 1958 to 2008 amounts to $416 billion dollars -- an average of $8.17 billion per year."

Financial cost of the Iraq War - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_cost_of_the_Iraq_War

"As of August 2008, around $550 billion has been spent based on estimates of current expenditure rates, which range from the Congressional Research Service (CRS) estimate of $2 billion per week to $12 billion a month, an estimate by economist Joseph Stiglitz."

http://zfacts.com/p/447.html shows the budget to date for the Iraq War at nearly $676 billion USD.

NASA's entire 50 year budget is about 60 % of what the US has spent in Iraq for the last 6 years.

Fifty years of NASA space science - $416 Billion; Six years of a dubious war waged under false pretenses - Priceless!