I think that every serious, non-NASA space scientist will agree, the shuttle was a propaganda tool which returned very little hard science for the billions of dollars that were wasted on its construction, maintenance and operation. The money, had it been invested in far more deserving projects and studies, could have materially advanced our body of knowledge and added to our quality of life, unless of course, the money were poured down the defense industry bunghole. Phytoresearcher: I think that every serious, non-NASA space scientist will agree, Loading comments... Makes me laugh how inconsistent the righties are on space. President Obama has stopped the Bush moon fiasco at bloated NASA and demanded more private sector involvement in the future. Surely taking space out of the public sector and pushing money into private projects is a position consistent with conservative principles? But still they bark and whine at the (expensive) moon...Tea Potty the lot of them. Republican Mad Hatters at the Tea Party.