...away. That's how NASA could die, gradually fading away, with more - and more
employees quitting, or being laid off; with fewer and fewer projects until Boeing
or some other firm takes over its dimished tasks.

It's like the frog thrown into a slowly warming pot of water.
As it warms gradually, the frog sleeps, and ends up boiled to death.

I want to ask you a favor, Buck!
Go to your nearest school, and ask the kids what they want to be when they grow up?
Say, 30 kids for a small survey sample.
I will bet you that you'll get maybe one or two kids responding that they want to be astronauts, if you are lucky.
Forty years ago, 10 kids would have said that they want to be astronauts.

And how the hell are you going to get future NASA engineers and scientists
if FEWER - and FEWER - and FEWER take Chemistry or Physics electives
in college?
That's the backbone of any future space program [it doesn't matter what nation] kids taking physics, mathematics and chemistry TODAY.

But the diminishing numbers are ALARMING. If that trend continues, it will ultimately be
disastrous for all hi-tech industries and

Sure