Re: Space is about curiosity
Regarding science, curiosity and profit stuff...
I say fund HST, NGST and astronomy missions and Kepler and such as govts do via the "science" budget. Govts have gotten good returns on such.
It's the manned stuff, the ISS and such that eats up the budget and has turned out to be unproductive. SkyLab II for $100 Billion. A bad investment.
So, let's do the manned stuff by a series of prizes as Newt and others have suggested. The obstacle to this is that the government "jobs for votes" program stops. That's why its hated.
-p