I hope the typos were a result of hasty typing and not in the document you got from the student.

This is just off the top of my head--no research:

The satellite industry has probably paid for itself AND the entire manned space program dozens of times over. Communications satellite technology has added billions to our economy, and ranks up there with personal computer technology as an enhancement to our civilization.

Weathersats have saved thousands of lives.

Defense satellites have helped keep us out of WW III, and saved billions of defense dollars by giving us accurate assessments of enemy military might.

Earth resources satellites have helped agriculture, forestry, flood research, land management, wildlife research, and many other scientific and commercial fields.

Man-tended or permanently-manned orbital facilities will some day improve on the jobs currently done by unmanned satellites. Large communications stations will be much more effective than regular satellites, and there is no observer in space as good as a human being for many fields of study.

For the record, I have never met a political science teacher who was not a gas brain. This one is probably no exception. And you can tell him I said so, and tell him where to find me here on this BBS.

To paraphrase a famous cowboy, I crap bigger than guys like him.