I've read plenty of times that NASA is just a jobs program. But seriously, it'd be nice if jobs were plentiful in the space industry. From the CAIB report (pg. 106) we read that NASA has cut its total workforce from 30,091 to 17,462 in the 1993-2002 period, most of which was in the first few years of that period. The subset of contractors has been reduced from 26,310 to 15,744 in the same period, which means NASA is maintaining almost the exact proportion of reductions across the board. The fraction of contractors has slightly increased to 90% of the total workforce so independent contractors have a better chance of getting work than someone who just wants to be a full-time employee. Still, jobs are almost non-existent in the space industry, and privatization would probably just result in more cuts.

In Canada we are taught that the purpose of government is to support those functions that benefit society but are not profitable for individuals or small business to pursue. For this reason I believe the manned space program would cease to exist without government support.

But does the manned space program benefit society? Is it worthy of government support? It has paid off in the past, but will it pay off in the future?

- It certainly doesn't provide many jobs, unless you are a profound expert with his own contracting business.
- Only a few people actually get to go into space, a fact that hasn't changed in 30 years.

I just don't see where it's all going. Looks like a dead end.