Why do we "waste" money on movies? Why do we "waste" money on art? Why do we waste money naming just about everything in West Virginia after Senator Byrd? Some say that as long as there are problems on Earth, we shouldn't spend money for space exploration. Why limit it to just space? Why not cut the other things, too? A typical Hollywood movie can cost upwards of $100 million to produce and even more to distribute. We could send a lot of kids to college for that.

First, let's separate space exploration from space exploitation. Space exploration is represented by things like the Mars rovers, the Hubble space telescope, and the Cassini space probe to Saturn. Some see space exploration as a waste of money, while others see it as scientific research. Among other things, that scientific research helps expand our understanding of planetary climate systems, which could prove useful right here on Earth.

Space exploitation includes things like GPS navigation satellites, weather satellites, communications satellites, and the like. These systems touch and improve the lives of millions of people every day in both the civilian and military sectors. They have proven their value countless times. For example, when was the last time a hurricane struck without warning? Hint: before weather satellites.